


Merman AU

by Minhoandthebabes



Category: SHINee
Genre: Drinking, Fighting, Injury, M/M, Mermen, Royalty, Sex, Swearing, Underwater Sex, boys, implied sex, kpop, merman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:55:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27877966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minhoandthebabes/pseuds/Minhoandthebabes
Summary: Shinee, but make them mermen!!Made from this prompt here: "A is an injured merperson who gets washed up on the shore and is rescued by B. As they spend more time together, their relationship turns romantic."I know this has been done before, but I wanted to make my own take on it~I wrote the majority of this after a nice vacation to Jeju!
Relationships: Choi Minho/Kim Kibum | Key, Kim Jonghyun/Lee Taemin
Comments: 37
Kudos: 49





	1. Jonghyun

It was right at dusk when Jonghyun and Kibum were walking back to their pension after drinking at a local bar on the shore. The wind whipped around them, chilling Jonghyun to the bone and he hugged his arms around himself as he braced against the wind. Looking out to the sea he watched the choppy waters crashing against Jeju’s volcanic rock.

“I thought this was supposed to be our  _ summer _ vacation,” He grumbled to Kibum who was walking a few paces ahead, seemingly unbothered by the approaching storm.

“It is!” Kibum looked back with a smile, “We’ll just go to the aquarium tomorrow if it’s still raining.”

Jonghyun huffed and sped up, “You and your long legs..” He shook his head. “What happens if it rains now?”

Almost on cue, a rumble came from storm clouds closing in overhead and Kibum grabbed Jonghyun’s hand. They heard the rush of rain approaching them before it started to pelt them in heavy raindrops that speckled their shirts, eventually dampening them. The two ran as fast as they could until they arrived under the eaves at the front entryway of their cabin.

Jonghyun was panting, leaning against the wall while Kibum punched in the code to enter the building. They walked up the steps with labored breath, both leaving a trail of water where they walked.

“Who knew the rainy season would persist into our vacation,” Kibum hummed, looking back at Jonghyun who was sulking in the entryway. He laughed and took his friend’s hand, “Come on, a warm shower will have you feeling better.”

Jonghyun shook his bleach blonde hair, showering Kibum in water. When he looked up at his shocked friend he laughed heartily, “Gotcha!” He grinned, slipping out of his sandals to run to the bathroom, “I got dibs on the shower!”

Kibum groaned, “Don’t make me feel bad for you just to get what you want! That’s no fair!” But before Jonghyun responded Kibum heard the shower running and huffed, wrapping himself in a beach towel to keep the floor from getting any wetter than it already was from Jonghyun’s puppy-like shaking.

Once Jonghyun was finished, he tied a towel around his waist and wandered out into their small bedroom, “It’s all yours, Bummie!” He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV to fill the empty room with some sound other than the pelting rain on the roof.

Kibum sighed and shook his head, “When the rain calms we should go out and get some snacks.. I wanted to stay at that bar longer but you got me all worried!”

Jonghyun shrugged, “Get clean first and we can think about heading back out for snacks.” He laid back on the bed, lounging as he flicked through the channels.

A flash of lightning lit up the room followed by a crack of thunder, the sound was enough to send a shiver down Jonghyun’s spine. It sounded like the sky was being split in two. He pulled the blanket around him, covering his body as if it were a form of defense from the nasty weather. He looked back at the TV and noticed it was starting to go fuzzy. Groaning, he tried a few more channels before eventually cutting his losses and turning it off.

Kibum came out naked, rubbing his head with his towel to dry his hair, “Nothing good on?”

Jonghyun glanced over and rolled his eyes, “No, it’s busted, the rain must be interfering.”

“Then I guess we have to go out..”

Groaning, Jonghyun pulled the blanket higher up to his neck, “But we just got clean!”

“Yeah, but this time we have umbrellas!” Kibum grinned, he rubbed his body down one more time before heading to his luggage, pulling on shorts and a tank top. “Come ooon!!” He begged once he was clothed, “We can drink more!” He promised.

Jonghyun huffed, but got out of bed, “You look better with clothes on anyway,” He said in passing, before putting on clothing himself.

Kibum raised an eyebrow, “Oh? You don’t like what you see?”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes and slapped Kibum’s butt playfully, “Alright, let’s get out of here.”

The two were familiar with the playful jabs, they had been close ever since university. That closeness had eventually led to teasing and intimate jokes. Jonghyun swore he wasn’t attracted to Kibum, but sometimes, the way Kibum would look at him, he wondered if Kibum liked him more than he let on. 

They shared an umbrella, walking down toward the beach again. They were laughing about some childish joke when Jonghyun froze at the sound of a screech. The sound sent a shiver down his spine.

“Why’d you stop?” Kibum asked, frowning at Jonghyun.

“Did you hear that?” Almost on cue, the screech came again, but this time it sounded pained. It was loud enough he went to cover his ears the second time it came around. The sound left Jonghyun with a pit in his stomach, “W- Whatever it is, it’s hurt..” He whispered, handing Kibum the umbrella.

Kibum opened his mouth to ask more questions but before he could Jonghyun went sprinting off towards the shore and the source of the pained noise.

“Wait!” Kibum yelled, following his friend down the wooden stairs to stand on the black volcanic rock above the crashing waves. The tide was high enough that only small bits of rock were left to stand on. That combined with the wind made the water look treacherous.

Jonghyun put his hands up to his ears as the sound cut through the crashing waves and rolling thunder in the distance. 

“Jonghyun!” Kibum called, “What are you doing?! You don’t know what that is!!” The sound Jonghyun kept referencing Kibum couldn’t even hear, so he was confused why his friend had suddenly lost his mind, running towards the ocean like this.

When Jonghyun heard the sound again it was slightly fainter, but he could pinpoint the location with ease, looking towards a small outcropping of rocks. He saw something silvery glimmer in a flash of lightning and gasped, carefully walking towards it as the water continued to pelt his legs. His sandals slipped and he nearly fell before he came upon the rocks. He saw a tail, silvery yet purple at the same time. It was long, almost like a sea serpent’s, yet tapered at the bottom to the image of a fishtail he was more familiar with. He could see there were sharp points at the end of the tail as well as smaller fins with similar pointy features.

Kibum came up behind him more slowly and he gulped, “That’s the weirdest fishtail I’ve ever seen.” 

“Whatever it is, it’s stuck in the rocks.” He could see blood marring the beautiful silvery-white scales and made a point to start there first, grabbing the base of the tail gently. As soon as his fingers touched the scales the tail started to flounder, trying to get away from his grasp and out of the rocks. He heard the screech again and winced, but tried to calm the creature.

“Please, I’m trying to help you,” He said in his best attempt at a gentle voice despite holding the tail as tightly as he could. “Kibum help!”

Kibum was hesitant to touch the thing but moved to the upper half of the tail, the part that was stuck between the rocks, and tried to pull it out from above. He placed his hands near the wound and looked over the rock, seeing the rest of the creature only to scream and let go.

Jonghyun’s eyes widened, “Kibum, what’s wrong!”

“I- It’s- It-” He stammered, pointing at the rock in sheer shock. “It’s- I don't believe it.”

Jonghyun glanced at Kibum before slowly walking to the other side of the rock only to see a human torso connected on the other end of the tail. The scales of the tail crawled up his stomach before slowly fading into human-like skin. The man’s face wasn’t exactly normal, with gills under his jaw, but the man was beautiful, Jonghyun couldn’t deny that. The creature looked back at Jonghyun with deep purple eyes to match his purple-tinted hair. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing but after a deep breath, he could calm himself and focus again.

“I- I don’t care what it is, we need to help it.” He said to Kibum, “Come on, let’s try again.”

Kibum bit his lip, “Okay,” he squeaked, getting back in position to help.

Jonghyun wanted to take the torso of the creature to try and get some leverage, but any attempt to get close to him was only met with hisses and attempts to bite him.

He went back to the tail then and tried working its way out of the rocks, pulling up on the back end while Kibum’s hands worked on the opposite side. The creature cried out, telling Jonghyun it must have hurt, but he couldn’t help it, there was no other way. 

“It’s okay,” He reassured the thing as he placed a hand on the creature’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding. They were close when suddenly the yelling came to a halt. Jonghyun looked down to see the creature passed out from the pain and panicked for a moment but placing a hand over where his heart should be only to find a quickened pulse, but a pulse nonetheless.

“One more push and we got it,” Jonghyun said to Kibum after he stood back up.

“T- Then what are we going to do afterward? We can’t just leave him here!?” Kibum said, looking down at the soft face of the creature that looked peaceful now compared to the face it had made before.

Jonghyun looked back at Kibum, “We’ll bring him back, we have a bathtub anyway, right? We’ll keep him there and take care of him until he’s good enough to go back..”

Kibum nodded and grabbed the tail again, “Let’s do this.”

Jonghyun nodded back and grabbed the base of the tail. With one grunt and lift it was finally free and Jonghyun could see the full extent of the damage. Deep gashes on either end of the tail where it had been wedged between the rocks remained as well as a fin on the back of its tail that seemed cracked. Jonghyun could see scales and flesh left on the stones and wiped off what remained to cover their tracks.

“I’ll carry it over my shoulder, you use the umbrella to cover it,” Jonghyun instructed, picking up the man to throw him over his shoulder. He was wobbly at first, surprised by the weight of the creature, but he realized the creature’s tail must be entirely muscle. He adjusted and soldiered on, walking in the rain towards their accommodation. He knew he would need to clean up again, but that didn’t matter, saving this creature was the only thing important to him at that moment.

They struggled through the rain, Jonghyun using whatever energy he could muster to carry the heavy creature. “We’re close,” Kibum informed Jonghyun, grabbing his elbow to pull him towards their building. It wasn’t long until they were standing beside the small gate, which guarded the set of buildings from the public. Jonghyun felt the creature start to move a little and he pet the tail as if it were some sort of dog he could easily calm.

“I- I’ll go upstairs, and fill the tub, you look at its wounds and bring it up when you’re ready,” Kibum said, in the moment of calm before they would enter the rain again to get to their cabin. While Kibum sounded eager to help, behind his eyes was a terror Jonghyun had never seen in him before.

“Hey, we’ll figure this out together, okay?”

Kibum nodded and turned to punch in the code, his fingers shaking. This all felt so surreal, how was this creature alive, existing before their very eyes? He just didn’t know.

Jonghyun adjusted the body, taking a deep breath before he followed Kibum through the front gate. While he felt safer within the privacy of the short wall, he knew they had to pass a few other cabins before getting to their own. He held on to the tail tightly before lightly jogging past the closed doors of the occupied cabins.

He was nearly out of breath by the time the two of them arrived at the entrance to their small pension, guarded against the rain under the eaves. Kibum opened the door for them. “There’s a first aid kit in my bag!” he told Jonghyun as he traipsed up the stairs.

Jonghyun carried the thing over to the kitchen, laying it on the table gently. It groaned, but Jonghyun left his side to run back and grab the kit, pulling half of Kibum’s clothes out in the process.

When he got back, he looked at the creature’s face for a moment as if he were drawn to it. He could see the slight differences, it wasn’t just the gills, it had scales on its jaw and down its nose. Its collar bones were also peppered with soft white iridescent scales. He gulped, in sheer awe of the creature, only taken out of his daze when he heard Kibum running down the stairs.

He finally looked away from its face and focused on the gashes in its tail. “God that looks bad..” He mumbled, “Kibum, don’t you have some sort of training for this?”

Kibum furrowed his brow, “I’m a vet, Jonghyun..”

“Well, do you know how to do stitches or something?! The- the cut is so deep, we should use stitches right?” Jonghyun asked, unsure of their next steps.

“I only know how to do stitches on skin! No one’s asked me to stitch up their pet fish! Jjong, It’s not even bleeding. This is some.. Magical bullshit or something, I don’t know!”

Jonghyun looked back at the gash to see Kibum was right. While there had been plenty of blood on the rock and a bit on Jonghyun’s white tank top, there wasn’t any coming out of the creature. He knelt until he was eye level with the wound and frowned, “It.. doesn’t look as deep as it did before either.”

Kibum shook his head, “It doesn’t.. There’s something weird going on.”

“Like you said, some magical bullshit..” Jonghyun sighed, running a hand through his wet hair only to notice the scales on his arm. He shivered at the sight and tried brushing them off as quickly as possible. “Well, let’s prop up that back fin at least, the one that looked bent at an odd angle, we should put it in a better position to heal.”

Kibum nodded and took over from there, breaking up one of their takeaway chopsticks before using medical tape to adhere it to the break, setting the bone or was it cartilage, he couldn’t tell really. 

“There, it’s.. better, I think,” Kibum looked back up at Jonghyun.

Jonghyun smiled at Kibum but froze when he heard some sound coming from the creature. He looked down at it with concern, “We should put it in water, I think- I think it needs water.”

Kibum frowned, “Is it.. Why do you look so upset? It’s not even awake.”

“You mean to tell me you don’t hear that?!”

Shaking his head, Kibum moved his head closer to the creature’s resting face and shrugged when he sat up, “I told you, it’s not even awake.”

Jonghyun sighed, “We can argue about this later, but seriously, it needs water. Help me carry it.” Jonghyun grunted as he lifted the creature, pulling it up by its armpits, letting Kibum take care of the tail. They brought him to the half-filled tub and Kibum lowered the tail first before Jonghyun followed with the torso, slowly lowering it until he was sure the creature was fully submerged.

He wiped the water and sweat from his brow and sighed, “Thanks.” He mumbled.

“Don’t mention it, what are friends for,” Kibum said, still breathing heavily from the experience. He sat on the floor and leaned against the wall, wiping the water from his face as well. “I think you’re crazy.”

Jonghyun mimicked Kibum’s pose, falling to the ground, and leaning against the wall beside the tub, “Well, you’re my crazy accomplice, how does that make you feel.”

“Good actually,” Kibum grinned, “I don’t mind it.”

“Good.” Jonghyun put his hand out and received a weak high five in response.

They sat like that for a while, attempting to settle themselves from the stressful experience. Jonghyun’s heart was still racing, it was as if he could hear the pained screams of the creature in his soul. The sounds still haunted and tortured him, but he eventually closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep on the floor after he heard Kibum’s gentle snores beside him.

Jonghyun awoke to a foreign sound. While it wasn’t the pained screech from before, it was definitely not a happy sound. He sat up to see the creature was awake, wide awake and he was splashing about in the tub, throwing water out left and right. Jonghyun didn’t know what time it was, but the gentle thunder rolling in the distance told him not much time had passed.

When the water hit Kibum he shook awake and saw the creature writhing in the water. “Shit,” he whispered and stood quickly, slipping into his flip flops.

“Kibum? What are you doing?” Jonghyun asked over the creature’s pained cries.

“I’m so stupid, stay here.. God, I would be fired for hurting a patient like this!” Kibum was gone before Jonghyun could stop him and he was left in the small bathroom alone with the crying creature.

Jonghyun stood to follow him, but a wet hand stopped him, he looked down to see the webbed digits clinging to his leg and blinked, shocked it was willingly touching him.

“I- sorry I’ll stay,” Jonghyun knelt so he was level with the creature’s face. It wasn’t thrashing about anymore, but there was less water in the tub. The voice coming from its closed mouth sounded like it was whimpering. “What’s wrong..?” Jonghyun asked softly, knowing it was in pain still.

It croaked something in a foreign language and Jonghyun pursed his lips, trying to understand what it said, “S- Something isn’t right, right?” He asked, “Kibum will fix it, my friend.” He pointed to the door. “Friend..” he explained again, showing the creature a heart with his fingers.

The creature cocked its head to the side as if it were trying to process what Jonghyun had said before it nodded.

Jonghyun’s eyes lit up, “You can understand me?” It nodded for a moment before shaking its head and Jonghyun hummed, “Maybe not then..” He looked down at his hands for a moment but was pulled away by another pained sound coming from the thing. 

“Something really isn’t right..” He sighed, “I wish I could help you, but, I guess we have to trust Kibum on this one, alright?”

After a moment of groaning and whining with pain, it seemed to calm again and Jonghyun noticed it was looking at his hands. “O- oh, do you want to see?” Jonghyun held up a hand and let the creature reach out to touch it.

“They’re different, right? Yours seems to be for swimming, I guess.. And mine is, well, mine is good for climbing and grabbing things.” He watched as the creature took the hand into its own, comparing the size and webbing. Between its small fingers was a gentle slope of a nearly transparent webbing, which looked less like a duck and more like that of a jellyfish. Now that the creature was enamored with Jonghyun’s hand, he could get a better look at him. He noticed a few odd features he hadn’t seen until he was this close. It seemed to have earrings made of old fishhooks of different colors as well as a gold circlet hiding beneath its hair. He hadn’t realized just how much jewelry the creature wore, but it was becoming more apparent now that he was looking at him more directly. 

“Are you.. Royalty?” He asked gently, but the creature didn’t care about his question, he was comparing his sharp nails to Jonghyun’s blunt ones, placing his palm on the tips of the fingers repeatedly before a new sound came out of him a sound Jonghyun could only equate with laughter. The sound brought a blush to his cheeks, it made the creature seem almost more human than foreign, but the sound was soon lost when he let out a yelp of pain.

Almost on cue, Kibum came back with two large buckets of water. He was breathing heavily from running back and forth. It was at that moment Jonghyun suddenly put two and two together. He tried to stand to help his friend, but the creature clung to him with incredible force, keeping Jonghyun in place.

“Are you- Holding its hand?!” Kibum asked between labored breaths.

“He- he was curious, don’t judge.”

“Not judging-” Kibum nodded before picking up one bucket to dump into the tub. The creature suddenly let go of Jonghyun’s hand once it had the saltwater surrounding it again.

Now that he was free, he picked up the next bucket and carefully dumped it out as well, noticing some seaweed and sand coming out with it.

“We’re never gonna be allowed to come back here again,” Jonghyun said out loud when he noticed how much of a mess they had already made. 

“Who cares, we have a mermaid with us.” Kibum said, “There are more buckets downstairs, let's try to fill this as far as it can go.” 

“Stay here and rest, I’ll be right back,” Jonghyun instructed. He ran downstairs to see four more buckets in the entryway. He grabbed two and carried them upstairs to dump in.

The creature’s purple eyes were watching both of them, but it seemed to be more relaxed now, it’s webbed hand resting on the side of the tub with its chin resting on top of it so he could keep track of them.

“It’s.. kind of creepy..” Kibum admitted, watching as Jonghyun dumped the next two buckets. The creature’s tail flicked almost like a cat’s when the water surrounded it. 

Jonghyun hummed, “I think it’s cute, I mean, it seems to be fine now, so what’s the problem?”

“N- No problem, just..” Kibum’s voice trailed off as his eyes locked with the creatures. He was almost afraid to look away, “How can you say it’s cute when.. It looks at us like that.” The creature licked its lips and a shiver sent down Kibum’s spine. He pulled his legs to his chest and rocked himself gently. “I don’t think it’s cute..” he mumbled.

Jonghyun could hear the creature laugh, and he looked up to see it leaning back with its mouth open yet still no sound seemed to come out. “Well, whatever just happened.. You made it laugh.”

Kibum rolled his eyes, “Sure I did, how the fuck do you speak mermaid now?!”

Jonghyun blinked, looking back at Kibum in shock at his anger. “I- I don’t.. I don’t speak mer- well wouldn’t it be merperson?” He asked in curiosity, interrupting his thoughts. “Mermaid, merman… we don’t know what it is, so merperson?”

Kibum relaxed a little, “Aren’t mermaids supposed to wear seashells or something on their.. You know..” 

“I honestly don’t know.. I mean, isn’t that how Disney depicted them, to.. You know, make things a bit more pg?” Jonghyun offered, “I feel like that would get distracting.. Maybe mermaids and mermen are more similar, it’s hair is long right? But its body kind of looks like a man, but it also could be a female, I mean I don’t see a.. you know..”

Kibum snorted then, bursting out into laughter, “What, you don’t think merpeople swim around with their junk out? I mean it makes sense now that you say it but, can you just imagine?!” He laughed loudly and the sound was enough to have the creature sitting up more, its wide eyes watching Kibum with amazement or fascination, Jonghyun couldn’t tell. 

“So you can hear us..” Jonghyun said softly to himself. The creature only glanced in Jonghyun’s direction briefly before he was drawn back to Kibum’s loud laughter.

Jonghyun sat down and watched the creature play with the new water around it. Now that it was in less pain it would look at its scratches, check its wounds. When Kibum finally settled down, he cuddled up to Jonghyun, resting his head on his shoulder as he tried to warm up. The two were still damp, the remnants of saltwater left behind on their legs and arms from carrying the creature. 

“It seems to be happy,” Jonghyun observed, “I mean, we didn’t kidnap it, right?”

“Even if we did, it doesn’t seem to care.” Kibum hummed.

Jonghyun nodded, “That’s valid..” He pulled out his phone and looked at the creature before typing something out “Man or woman?” He asked, holding the phone up to the creature who had returned to watching them.

The creature narrowed its eyes before poking one with a wet finger leaving a trail of water dripping down the screen.

“So you’re a male..” Jonghyun smiled, “And..” He typed just in case the creature couldn’t tell what he was saying before holding up the new sentence. 

“My name is Jonghyun,” He said softly and the creature read the sentence before croaking something out to him. He could hear it, but the words sounded jumbled and gargley, as if it were being said through some filter.

He hummed, “You speak Korean, but I can’t understand it..”

The creature frowned and looked back at the device he had been reading on. He pointed to it and reached out with his hand. Jonghyun shook his head and pulled the phone back, changing it to a drawing pad before holding it out again.

“You can draw!” Jonghyun showed him, writing a line with his finger. 

The creature seemed to make a pleased sound and reached out to scratch against the phone. He finished and clapped his hands together, obviously proud of his work.

Jonghyun smiled and took the phone back only to see Hanja staring back at him. “I- I can’t read that..” He admitted, looking over the characters again. He moved to a web browser and attempted to copy them into the search bar. The first one came up and Jonghyun read over the page.

“Great, exalted,” He read out loud, “Tae.” The creature poked his head up and nodded. “And next..” He drew out the second one and looked at the definition, “Of the people, nation.. Min.” He blinked, “Taemin? Is your name?” The creature nodded from the bath and Jonghyun smiled, “You- wow, you sound like a king or something.”

Jonghyun heard a snore coming from his right and looked down to see Kibum was fast asleep again. “Sorry,” he whispered, “It’s been a long day.” 

Taemin shook his head and pointed to his forehead. The gesture was odd, but suddenly he could hear the merman’s voice as clear as day, but the man never opened his mouth.

Jonghyun opened his mouth in shock, realizing that was how he had been hearing him before. “H- How do you do that? Can Kibum hear it too?”

The merman shrugged and swirled around in the tub, dunking his head briefly underwater. Jonghyun could still hear it, even when it went underwater. “W- what is..” He whispered in shock, a hand over his mouth as he tried to process everything. 

He could tell the merman was trying to explain something based on the lilt in his voice, but he still had no idea what he was saying and wondered if he would ever be able to understand. He could barely understand how he was hearing him at all, and he wasn’t about to learn an entirely new language, but maybe he had to.


	2. Taemin

Clicks of laughter filled the reef as Taemin bolted off to the side, leaving Minho behind in a cloud of bubbles. The two were enjoying a much-needed break from their daily activities. Taemin, always stuck in classes and meetings on how to be the best diplomat, and Minho, always by his side, catering to his every whim no matter how ridiculous. Minho’s life as a royal servant was difficult, but as far as Minho was concerned, Taemin’s seemed all the more so.

Taemin spent his life in his brother Taesun’s shadow, he was the younger of the two and while he was still royalty, most of his life he felt he was vying for his respect. While he was the youngest, he still had to learn everything his brother did, despite only using what he would learn in his brother's death. It all felt redundant, useless, but he struggled through regardless.

It was days like this Taemin wished he was a commoner, he wished he could live his life peacefully. While Minho was his guard and servant and had been from a young age, Taemin saw him more as a friend, someone he could trust.

“I know you’re faster than me, but I’m stronger!” Minho called after him, darting between the rocks covered in soft pink and blue coral.

Taemin giggled, speeding along through the empty reef. It was days like these he loved to be out. Rainy days meant no land people, no humans meant he could be bold. He darted to the left then the right before propelling himself back left towards the shore. He was close enough to feel the waves propel him and felt a moment of freedom fill him, it was as if he were flying while the waves pushed him closer to the beach, but the feeling soon passed when he felt a hand on his tail, yanking him back.

“Don’t you dare,” Minho threatened, “It’s too dangerous.”

Taemin frowned, “There aren’t any land people! Why are you being so lame?”

“I hate to remind you, but it’s my job to be lame.” 

Taemin rolled his eyes, “come on, let’s play a game.” He grinned, swimming closer to Minho, steadying himself on the other merman’s forearms, “If I get closer to shore, I get to eat your cuttlefish for the week, if you get closer, you get all of mine for the month.” 

Minho widened his eyes, “Taemin, that’s..”

“Not fair?” Taemin asked, raising an eyebrow, “Don’t tell me you’re shrimp.”

“I- I’m not shrimp! What would your parents say if you’re feeding me your cuttlefish for a month??”

Taemin hummed, “I’ll tell them you won a bet.” He shrugged, “come on they’re not that clever.”

Minho ran a hand through his reddish hair as he thought to himself. While Taemin’s tail was for the most part white, as most royalty was, Minho’s tail was an emerald green that blended well with his surroundings, making him harder to catch to the human eye.

“Fine, but promise you’ll be smart,” Minho held out his pinky and Taemin took it eagerly.

“Alright, three,” Taemin adjusted to face the shore, “Two,” he winked at Minho before whispering, “One.” He propelled himself forward, bolting towards the crashing waves. As he approached he looked over his shoulder to see Minho struggling to match his pace. He smirked and sped up a little. It wasn’t long until he reached the waves, feeling weightless again. He closed his eyes and let the waves take him back to the seafloor. The feeling gave him more confidence and he turned around, his arms above his head as he watched Minho.

“It’s hard to keep up, right?” He teased, “I need a faster bodyguard.”

Minho looked annoyed, but his face suddenly dropped, “Taemin!” He yelled, but before Taemin could see what was happening, he felt a pain shoot through his tail. He screamed into the water but the wave pulled back, taking Minho away with it.

“Minho!” He screamed back at the water, reaching out towards it as if he were close enough. The black jagged rocks he was wedged between scraped as he tried to pull himself out and he shrieked in pain. 

The water crashed around him again and Minho swam up with it, his hands grabbing at Taemin’s but there wasn’t enough time. Once the wave receded he fell back with it, poking his head above the water. He was about to yell back to Taemin, telling him to wait, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw two land people and immediately popped under the water to protect himself. For the first time, Minho left Taemin, for the first time he broke the promise he had given Taemin’s mother, and the guilt and worry consumed him as he waited for an idea on what to do next.

* * *

Taemin didn’t see the land people coming as he thrashed about trying to wiggle himself out of the painful location, but the action only wedged him in deeper. He screamed Minho’s name but stopped when he suddenly heard two foreign voices and froze, going limp as he waited for them to pass. While one voice sounded as clear as day, the other sounded muddled, as if weighed down by something. He found the voices odd, but remained still, hoping the two wouldn’t see him.

It was when he felt a hand on him that he finally tried to escape, shaking his tail in attempts to break free from the grip. He screamed at the land person, cursing him out, but it seemed to be useless as the strong grip held him in place. 

He cried out, not only in pain but almost in loss. These land people would take him, eat him maybe, cut him up, kill him, this felt like the end. Just when he felt like he was at his wit's end, the land person he could somewhat understand started to talk in a soothing voice, and it was enough for him to still. It was when the land person he didn’t understand looked over the rocks that he gave a menacing glare, but he wasn’t expecting the scream that followed. He watched the land person in shock, confused as to why it was so scared; didn’t it know he wasn’t the bad guy? Didn’t it know it was the enemy?

Staring at the land person he waited until it calmed, only to hear the other’s soft voice that managed to calm both of them. He huffed and tensed when the hands were on him again and it only took a minute before they were tugging on him again. He whimpered in pain, his webbed hands gripping the rocks beneath him as he fought through it. It was then he realized the land people were trying to help him, and he couldn’t place why at all. This was the enemy yet they were trying to help him.

He screamed when he felt the rock cutting into his skin and breaking his dorsal fin, the pain was far too great and before he could reach out to stop them his world went black.

* * *

The next time Taemin regained full consciousness, he felt heat searing through him. It was as if he swam too close to the vents in the baths back at home. He sat up and looked down at the water. It didn’t seem different, but it hurt. He lowered his hand to be sure it was the water and it felt as if he were burning up. He whimpered and tried getting out, as it scorched his skin. He felt as if he was suffocating as he writhed. He closed his eyes as he struggled through the pain only to open them and see one land person running out while the other stood to follow. Before he could leave, Taemin reached out and grabbed the soft skin of the land person’s leg. The skin felt odd and foreign to him, but he held on tightly, hoping he would stay.

“I- sorry, I’ll stay,” The land person lowered itself so he was closer and Taemin could observe his features. “What’s wrong..?” The human asked, his voice was almost clear as day in his mind and he looked the land person over, trying to see if he truly was of land or if any signs remained signaling some form of merperson heritage. Of course, Taemin knew the possibility was preposterous, but it had him thinking of the possibilities. 

As the two communicated together, Taemin began to feel a sense of connection to this human, it was as if something was unlocked within him, a hidden part he wasn’t fully aware of. 

When the other human returned with buckets of water, he furrowed his brow, receding into the painful water briefly. When the odd land person approached him he almost held up his hands to protect himself but was surprised when the old water was replaced with something calming and fresh. Once he was surrounded by the familiar liquid, he could feel himself brighten. Once the land person he liked left, he kept his eyes focused on the odd land person who stayed behind.

Taemin narrowed his eyes at the person, something about this land person rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn’t understand him, he couldn’t talk to him, he felt almost threatened by the creature. 

Flicking his tail threateningly, he kept an eye on the land creature but his focus was interrupted by the return of the man he liked. Once he was fully comfortable he learned the man’s name was Jonghyun and the other was Kibum. 

The two land people fell asleep after they talked, the two passed out on the floor. It left Taemin wondering if this was a land person’s bedroom. Perhaps it was, but it didn’t look comfortable compared to his own bedroom, maybe they were actually poor. He took pity on the two and hummed to himself as he settled into the warm water, finally ready to rest from the long day. He tossed and turned in his sleep that night, nightmares of the land people attacking him and eating him, nightmares of Minho panicking at home, telling his parents he was dead or worse, that he was with the enemy.

* * *

Taemin awoke to the sound of soft whispers above him. He wasn’t sure when he fell into a deep sleep the previous night, but strange voices took him so off guard he bolted up and held up his sharp claws in a threatening pose, only to recognize Jonghyun’s fearful expression. He carefully backed down, slipping back into the water. “Why did you wake me up like this?? Can’t I have some privacy?” 

Jonghyun knelt down and held out his hand. Taemin eagerly took it again to play with, fascinated by the thing. “You look hurt still, Kibum needs to check your wounds, okay?” Jonghyun said to him. Taemin’s eyes darted to see Kibum standing off to the side and he turned up his nose at the offer.

“Why does he need to touch me? He can’t even communicate with me.” He mumbled through his mind to Jonghyun.

Jonghyun pursed his lips, “Look, I know it’s hard because you can’t understand him, but he’s my best friend, and I trust him. Also, I’ll be there to translate, whatever you need, alright?”

Taemin huffed, his eyes focusing back at Jonghyun’s hand, it was larger than his own, the palm soft and now wet from his own hand. He looked it over for a moment longer before finally letting go. “Fine,” He mumbled, “I’ll do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted this one a bit early ^^ I hope you're enjoying it so far!


	3. Jonghyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one is a tad bit late! (I was fighting Grammarly again..)   
> Thanks again to my lovely editor~   
> It's fun to read back through this though while I edit!   
> I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

The merman didn’t make things easy for them. Taemin seemed to be less complacent about being held, and for whatever reason, he didn’t seem to like Kibum touching him. As soon as Kibum’s hands moved to support Taemin’s tail, the merman would slide it away from his grasp, leading to a grumbling Kibum.

They finally managed to get him back on the table, laying him on his stomach. “There,” Jonghyun placed a hand on Taemin's shoulder, hoping to calm him, “Stay there, okay? Kibum’s going to check up in your.. dorsal fin.” He tried to explain before gently placing his hand on the propped up fin. The creature shivered beneath his touch and he pulled away.

“Careful,” Jonghyun warned Kibum, “it seems to be a sensitive spot..”

Kibum nodded, stepping closer to observe it, “Well.. it’s still broken, that’s for sure..”

Jonghyun sighed, “Is there anything you can do to keep it a bit more steady?”

Kibum reached out to touch the broken tail, as soon as his fingers grazed the webbing between the spines Taemin recoiled beneath him, making a hissing sound. “D- Did that hurt?? I barely touched you!”

Jonghyun knelt down until he was eye level with Taemin. “Are you okay?” he asked, and the merman nodded. Jonghyun maintained that eye contact and waved his hand, telling Kibum to keep working.

Kibum placed his hand gently at the base of the fin, his hand resting on the strong muscle of the tail to hold him in place. Jonghyun could see annoyance in Taemin’s eyes and face, but he held up his hand for Taemin to observe, hoping it would keep him distracted as Kibum worked. 

Carefully pulling at the fin, Kibum managed to get it into a position where he could see the extent of the tear. He lifted the hand keeping him steady and that little bit of freedom had Taemin sitting up to look back at Kibum with a scowl. 

Jonghyun chuckled and placed his hand back below the small dorsal fin, “Don’t look so angry at Kibum like that.. He’s honestly just trying to help!” 

Taemin hummed and laid back down, he seemed to be relaxing under Jonghyun’s touch. It was odd how Jonghyun felt such a strong connection to the magical creature. He wondered if the merman felt the same.

“How do you do that..” Kibum mumbled, reaching out again to take the fin into his grasp. Jonghyun could sense Kibum’s nerves, it was obvious he had never worked with a sea creature before. Kibum carefully moved the fin until he saw the significant tear following the break and sighed. “Jjong.. I can’t do this..”

“Can’t.. fix it?” 

Kibum shook his head, backing away from the two to sit on the counter across from the table where Taemin lay. “We need.. a marine biologist or something..”

Jonghyun raised an eyebrow, “Well, you went to a prestigious university for your training, maybe you remember someone..? Someone who could help? It’s not like I have a sibling or something I can call on.” 

Kibum scrunched his nose, “There was this weird kid.. his name was Jinki, and.. he mostly kept to himself, but I know he was studying marine biology as well as veterinary sciences. He said he wanted to work with some sort of rescue animals on the coast?”

“While that’s wholesome, do you know where he ended up working?” Jonghyun asked, finally pulling his hand off of Taemin to sit off to the side. Taemin turned and kept his eyes on Jonghyun. He felt as if the merman were trying to figure out how he was feeling.

“I- I mean I can try to contact him, but.. isn’t a marine biologist.. sort of dangerous in this situation? He might want to take him for some sort of tests.. He’ll put him in a cage!”

Jonghyun pursed his lips, “I’ll threaten him or something.”

“You’re not exactly.. threatening Jjong,” Kibum couldn’t help but snort. 

“No, I’m not, but I’m the voice for a national radio station, he’s gotta fear that, right?”

Kibum sighed, “Fine, but I can’t guarantee he lives in Jeju..”

Jonghyun waved a hand to Kibum, telling him to make the call while he stayed with the merman. Stepping out onto their small balcony in the rain Kibum went to call the old classmate.

Sitting on the nearest chair, Jonghyun ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He squeezed his eyes shut, wondering how he could help the poor creature.

“You know it doesn’t hurt, right?” Taemin’s gargling voice came into Jonghyun’s mind and he shook his head.

“I’m going to help you, alright? I don’t care what it takes, I’m going to help.” Jonghyun stood and placed his hand on the merman’s shoulder, rubbing it gently. He could feel scales under the tips of his fingers but beneath that was strong muscle. While he didn’t look strong he definitely felt it.

Taemin closed his eyes, “I’ll be fine..” he tried to reassure the land person, but Jonghyun only looked distraught.

“I’ll fix this, I’ll make it better, I promise.” Jonghyun knelt down and took the merman’s hand into his own. He gently ran his fingers over the soft webbing, feeling it’s stretchy, wet consistency. His eyes were stuck on it, trying to think of ways to fix such a delicate part of the body. When humans break something, when they tear their skin, it’s painful, sometimes life-threatening. They cry for a long time the more it hurts, but Taemin seemed almost unaffected by the break, unaffected by the pain.

“Does it hurt?” Jonghyun asked softly, laying the piece back down, gently petting it into place. Taemin shook his head and seemed to make a pleased sound as Jonghyun carefully pet him.

Kibum stepped in, his shirt a little damp from the rain, “You both have no idea how lucky you are.”

Jonghyun stood with a grin, “He works in Jeju?”

“Not only does he work in Jeju, he lives like 30 minutes from here. He said he was getting in his car, so we’ll see him soon!” Kibum smiled a little too brightly.

“So.. what did you tell him?” Jonghyun asked anxiously.

“Dolphin,” he chewed his lip, “I mean.. he’s the size of a dolphin, right? But.. his tail is more fish-like.. I don’t know, I just wanted to make sure the size of the creature was fairly obvious..” 

Jonghyun wrapped his arms around Kibum, jumping up and down eagerly. “Thank you so much! You won’t regret this, I’ll take care of it when he gets here!”

The joyous moment between the two was soon interrupted by almost a growl from Taemin and Jonghyun stepped away from Kibum with a frown, “S- Sorry.. um, we’re getting you a doctor, okay? You guys have doctors down there, right? Or is it more like a shaman situation?” He shook his head, “Whatever, it doesn’t matter, do you need something? Water? I can splash you with some..” he looked back at Kibum, “Should we put him back in the tub?”

Kibum shrugged, “He seems.. comfortable. I mean, he’s not making that awful sound anymore..” 

Jonghyun nodded and knelt down again, making himself level with the merman, “Are you feeling okay now?” 

Taemin nodded only to receive a grin from Jonghyun back. 

“Um, I hate to interrupt the love fest, but.. it’s almost eleven and you and I still haven’t had food yet.” Kibum spoke up from behind the two that we’re almost intimately staring at each other.

“Oh my goodness you’re right! What can I do to help the chef?” Jonghyun stood and smiled brightly at Kibum who only scowled.

“First of all you can stop acting so weird.. why are you acting like that?” 

Jonghyun frowned, “Like what?”

“Like you’re in some kids cartoon!” Kibum shook his head, “You’re doing this weird baby talk thing, it’s.. it’s weird coming from you.”

“S- Sorry..” He looked a little sheepish but realized the voice had been an excuse for him to baby the Merman, it felt like they had some pet, not a man. He didn’t know how to explain it. “So, uh.. what do you think he eats anyway?”

“Kelp, maybe fish..” Kibum opened one of the cabinets and tossed Jonghyun. a packet of roasted seaweed they had purchased as a snack earlier. “Try this.”

Jonghyun opened it eagerly and held out a piece to the merman, “Try it, it’s like seaweed. Well.. it  _ is _ seaweed just dried but still! You might like it!”

Taemin took the small pieces and watched as it seemed to melt in his damp hand. 

Blushing, Jonghyun stammered, “I- I guess that was a bad idea-“ he started, but the merman stuck his fingers in his mouth and hummed, reaching out for more. “Oh! You like it?” He pulled out a few more small sheets and placed them in Taemin’s wet palm. “There! You can have some of our food too once it’s ready..”

“You two are so weird..” Kibum mumbled, “Alright, two normal omelets for us and one gross seaweed omelet for the creature.”

Jonghyun stood to help cut vegetables for Kibum, “Don’t call him that.. He’s half-human anyway right?”

Kibum pursed his lips, “It’s a cute pet name..” he lied.

Frowning at the comment, Jonghyun went to work, chopping up the few vegetables they had gotten together at the supermarket their first day of the vacation. Handing off the ingredients, Jonghyun went back to sit at the counter and watch as the merman flicked his tail back and forth. 

Kibum was deep in thought as he worked in silence, frying up the veggies. He wondered why Jonghyun was so taken with the creature. He wondered why he couldn’t communicate with him no matter how hard he tried to understand the weird sounds that came from it. He plated the first omelet and handed it off to Jonghyun, “The monster seems hungry.” Kibum gestured to Taemin who had poked his head up at the smell of food.

Sitting up, Jonghyun took the plate and thanked Kibum, “Maybe we made him miss dinner last night..” 

“Perhaps..” Jonghyun reached out to touch the tail in front of him, “Are you hungry?” He asked Taemin as his fingers pet over the scales. When they were so close to him he could see their pearlescent shimmer flashing from white to purple. 

Taemin let out a sound that Jonghyun would only describe as a moan and he pulled his hand away quickly, “S- Sorry I-” He cleared his throat, “Sorry.”

Taemin looked down at Jonghyun and smiled, it was a toothy smile, showing the sharp canine teeth that curved inwards. It was as if he were some vampire and the sight sent a shiver down Jonghyun’s spine, but he smiled back. 

“You’re very handsome for a land person,” Taemin said, cocking his head to the side.

Jonghyun pursed his lips, “So you are hungry..” He mumbled, assuming that’s what the man said but Taemin laughed, holding his sides.

“You’re still learning, aren’t you?” Taemin asked, sitting up to look at Jonghyun, “You still don’t understand..” He sighed, his face falling.

Jonghyun could recognize the disappointment, but he couldn’t place why, “D- Don’t worry, we’ll get you plenty of food! Maybe we can order sashimi, right Kibum?” 

“Hmm?” Kibum asked, tossing his omelet in the pan, “I thought we were planning on going to the fish market later this week.” 

“We, uh, have a special guest now..” Jonghyun reminded him, “If Jinki’s cool with it you and I could pick up the fish while he waits with him?”

Kibum scoffed, “Fine, fine..” 

Jonghyun furrowed his brow, ready to respond to Kibum’s negative attitude, but before he could a knock came at the door.

“Shit,” Jonghyun whispered, “I- I’ll get it, you keep working..” 

Kibum glanced at the door but nodded, “Yeah sure..”

Jonghyun unlocked their front door and opened it just a crack. He didn’t realize how much of a mess he looked. His shirt still had some blood on it, there were scales in his white hair, but as far as he knew, he looked as if he had just woken up. 

“H- Hey, you, uh, you must be Jinki..” He stammered and held out his hand through the small opening, “I’m Jonghyun, Kibum’s high school friend.”

The man before him was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The shirt held the name of the aquarium he worked at and he carried a toolkit with him. “You mean to tell me you and Kibum.. Kibum, right? That scrawny kid-”

“I heard that!” Kibum yelled from the kitchen but his comment fell on deaf ears.

“You both dragged a dolphin.. To your house.” Jinki asked incredulously, an eyebrow raised.

“Ah..” Jonghyun rubbed the back of his neck, “Um well, it’s not exactly a.. Look, I’m a radio host and.. I can easily draw up an NDA if you want to be difficult, but.. If you don’t want to be difficult then.. Just keep quiet and..” He opened the door a little to reveal the carnage from the previous night.

There was still some water on the floor and scales strewed about. Kibum had laid down some towels, but that didn’t help when Taemin was still dripping water onto the kitchen floor. The two had been in so much shock they hadn’t had the time to even begin to attempt to clean the place for their guest. Jonghyun’s priority had been Taemin, Kibum’s priority had been keeping sane. Needless to say, the two had been quite preoccupied.

Jinki took in the room, he looked from the men to the mess, and then his eyes finally fell on the creature. He hid his shock well. Stepping past the nervous Jonghyun in the doorway, he made his way to the mysterious thing.

“What happened?” He asked, his voice serious as he looked at Kibum who was holding a green speckled omelet.

“I- uh.. we found him like that,” Kibum set the plate in front of Taemin who started nibbling on it.

Jonghyun smiled when the merman made satisfied sounds as he ate. 

“It’s good, right?” Jonghyun asked, sitting near Taemin's head so he could talk with him.

“So.. you found a.. mermaid-“

“Merman,” Jonghyun cut in to correct.

“Y- yes, sorry, merman, damaged, on the beach?” 

Kibum sat with his own omelet, “He was caught in the volcanic rock..” he looked up at Jinki and noticed him eyeing his food, “Want some? I can make you some.” 

“No, no, I already ate,” Jinki looked at the wounds carefully, but he didn’t dare touch them. He noticed the sticky residue on the fin and shook his head, “Let me guess, you’re more concerned about this fin, right?”

Jonghyun looked up and nodded, “Yeah, it’s a big break!”

Jinki chuckled, “This is nothing, all fish can heal a simple break like that, but I can add some vitamins to the water to encourage growth.. now these..” he pointed to the side with the deepest gash. “These need a lot of work..”

Jonghyun bit his lip, standing he placed his hand on the fleshy part of Taemin’s arm in his concern, “Will it hurt him?”

“Probably..” Jinki bit his lip, “He’ll recover on his own, but I can see some rocks stuck in his flesh.. if he heals with those in his body they could make him really sick.” He looked at Kibum, “At, uh, the aquarium.. when a large fish gets stuck we usually have to treat it similarly.”

Kibum nodded, “Thanks for coming out here for this..”

“It’s nothing, I mean, I’ve never seen a case like this one, so.” 

Waving a hand at Jinki’s comment, he turned, “Sit, I’ll make you some food.”

Taemin looked at Jonghyun with concern, his eyes asking who this stranger was, why he was looking at him so closely, but Jonghyun only reassured him. “Jinki’s a friend,” He smiled, “He wants to help you, promise!” 

Taemin blinked and looked back to the man Jonghyun had called Jinki and made a low hum. It was loud enough that Jinki turned and finally looked at the creature's face as it stared back at him.

“Beautiful, isn’t he?” Jonghyun asked Jinki, standing straighter as he addressed the man.

“Yeah.. I mean, he’s certainly unique..” Jinki nodded, “And you talk to him? He can understand you?”

Jonghyun hummed, “He can understand me, and.. I can sort of understand him, but he and Kibum… they can’t communicate.”

“Odd..” Jinki noticed Kibum was toiling away in the kitchen and stood to help, his brow was furrowed as he remained deep in thought. 

Ignoring Jinki’s odd behavior, he looked back at Taemin with a smile, “Why did you make that sound hmm? What does it mean?” he placed a hand on Taemin’s drying hair, brushing it back out of his face, “You feel dry.. Do you need more water?”

Taemin shook his head and rested his cheek on the table again.

“You know,” Jinki said, leaning against the counter as Kibum cooked up another omelet, “There are some species of fish that exclusively communicate with one another in a way scientists still can’t figure out.” He explained, crossing his arms, “Perhaps you’re one of the special ones.. You know? You’re one of the special ones that can understand what he’s saying because.. Maybe you’re similar to him in some way.”

Jonghyun snorted then, “Me?? Similar to a merman? That’s impossible.. I know my family well.. It’s not like my mom is secretly a-” His voice cut off and le let out a gentle gasp, “My- My grandmother’s a haenyeo*!”

“That’s a diver, not a mermaid..” Kibum mumbled, “Besides, you’ve met her many times and she’s still just a diver, I mean you haven’t seen a tail, right?”

“No..” Jonghyun looked at his feet sheepishly. While he agreed his theory was a little far fetched, something about what Jinki said made him curious to do a little more research on his own later.

Jinki looked back at the creature's tail as it flicked back and forth in his boredom, “Does he have a name?” Jinki looked to Jonghyun.

“Yeah, Taemin.. He can write in hanja. It’s pretty impressive actually,” Jonghyun smiled, “I wonder what he would tell us if we could give him a pen and paper..”

Jinki raised an eyebrow, “And why haven’t you tried?” 

“Too busy, I can’t read hanja, he would disintegrate any paper he touches.”

Leaning back Jinki sighed, “That’s fair.”

Kibum gave Jinki a plate of food before going back to nibbling on his own cold omelet.

“So you’ve been living in Jeju since our graduation and you haven’t seen a mermaid in that time? And none of your superiors have mentioned that they might exist?” Kibum asked Jinki in playful exasperation. “How could they not share the secrets of Jeju with you??”

Jinki shook his head, “Even if they did know, they’ve kept it under tight wraps.. I mean I can ask them about it but, I doubt they know.”

Jonghyun hummed, “You really are one of a kind, aren’t you?” He asked Taemin who granted him a bright smile.

“Well I’m a prince, I better be.. Imagine if you met Minho,” He shook his head, “That dumb guy probably would have tried to hurt you.”

Jinki watched in fascination as the two communicated at the table, “Has it been like this since you found him?” He whispered to Kibum.

Rolling his eyes, Kibum picked up his plate to put it in the sink, “Yes they have some “special bond” I guess”

“I guess..” Jinki repeated in a whisper, looking back at the two. He watched the creature open his mouth, visibly in a laugh, but the audio he heard was faint, like puffs of air. Under the sea, surely they would be clicks of joy. 

The four of them continued to talk together, Jinki and Kibum catching up and Jonghyun and Taemin having odd one-sided conversations that only frustrated Jonghyun at his lack of understanding. 

It wasn’t long until Jinki finally stood and reached for his tools, “The faster we get this over with the better.”

Jonghyun looked down at Taemin, “We’re- We’re going to help you, okay? I’m going to hold your hand and Jinki, our new friend is going to help you to feel better, then we can go back in the bath, okay?”

Taemin gave a hesitant nod but was quick to take Jonghyun’s hand and squeeze it.

Jonghyun smiled, “You’ll be okay, okay?”

Jinki lay down a cloth beside the bigger gash and pulled out a pair of tweezers. They looked sterile, like the tools of a doctor.

“I’m going to touch you now,” Jinki warned the merman before placing his hand gently on the tail. Taemin let out a grumbly groan, but Jinki took that as annoyed acceptance.

“There..” Jonghyun smiled at him, “It’s not so bad when others touch you like that too, right?”

Taemin gave Jonghyun a glare but the look was soon replaced with pain as Jinki removed the first stone. Jonghyun knelt down so they were eye level then and squeezed Taemin’s hand, “It’s okay, don’t worry.”

He found himself observing how the webbing of his fingers stretched as he moved Taemin’s hand. His fingers came into sharp points, the nails were far from human, they were sharp and when he looked closer he realised they were also connected to the webbing.

Jonghyun was about to comment on it but Taemin’s hand curled around his own and squeezed tightly. When he looked up he saw Jinki bracing himself on the tail as he tried pulling a bigger, sharper piece out. Taemin made a sound in the back of his throat. It wasn’t a sound of pain, it was more like a grunt of discomfort. Jonghyun’s eyes locked with Taemin’s and he thought, “You’ll be okay, this is going to hurt a bit, but you’ll be okay.” 

Taemin looked back at him, “I’m already okay..” His voice filled Jonghyun’s head, “Really, it just feels weird.”

Jinki placed the rock on a towel and took a deep breath before going in again. After those chunks of rock, the others came out more smoothly. Jinki washed the spot with some hydrogen peroxide, and that was the moment Taemin hissed with pain. He looked back at the man who had put the painful liquid on him with resentment, but Jonghyun placed his hand on Taemin’s cheek, guiding his gaze back to Jonghyun's eyes. Taemin looked back, but there was a slight pain behind his eyes. 

Jinki let the chemical sit on his body before rinsing it with water and applying vitamins to the wound as he would with any fish.

“That should do, for now, but we need to get him back into the water,” Jinki insisted.

Jonghyun nodded, “I’ll carry him, you take his tail.”

The three managed to get him back in the tub carefully, laying him in the water. Jonghyun took Kibum’s hand once Taemin was settled and squeezed it gently for his own reassurance. Taemin looked at the two holding hands and hissed in annoyance. 

“He’s going to be fine,” Jinki promised, “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on him..” Jinki was about to leave before he paused, “Also, his teeth are made for eating meat, I suggest you get him some fish, something a little more substantial.” 

Jonghyun nodded, letting go of Kibum’s hand was enough for Taemin to calm and he knelt beside the merman, “We’ll feed him well, don’t worry.”

Jinki gave the two a nod before leaving with Kibum following in his path to lead him out.

Left with Taemin, Jonghyun placed his hand in the water, checking the temperature, “This is okay, right?” Taemin nodded, leaning back against the tub as he closed his eyes. “Rest well, Taemin.” He whispered the name gently as if it were a promise

* * *

Postscript: Jinki kept his cool that evening. He kept his cool when he went back to the office, he kept his cool during the company dinner that evening. When asked about his morning project, he formed an elaborate story about a small beached whale that had been found and had some bleeding. He explained that it was no big deal, he assured them it wasn’t too much work but he would return to the beach the next day to make sure it didn’t happen again as it was supposed to rain that evening as well.

It was when he arrived home that he finally let his cool facade break. In the safety of his home, he let his emotions run free.

“I- I can’t believe it, a merman? Like really a merman? What are the possibilities..?! No- No, I can’t think about that, I have to protect him, I made a promise, but.. How this would- would turn the world of science on its ear!” He raved to himself. “No, I have to keep him safe, Jonghyun said he was some royalty, right? The last thing I want to cause is a battle between humans and mermaids, mer- merpeople, god I’m losing my mind!”

Jinki paced the room, stopping to grab a bottle of scotch, that had remained unopened up until this point, and a glass. He poured himself a little and finally let himself sit on his armchair, swirling the glass. This called for a celebration and an utter defeat. On the one hand, he knew one of the world’s greatest secrets, on the other, he couldn’t do anything with this information. This knowledge excited him, but he felt trapped with what he knew. Regardless of what happened, he knew he needed to stay close with Kibum and Jonghyun in order to keep an eye on Taemin.

*Haenyeo: "Haenyeo are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean. Known for their independent spirit, iron will, and determination, the haenyeo are representative of the semi-matriarchal family structure of Jeju." (Wikipedia)


	4. Taemin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter too! And have a Merry Christmas~

Time had passed faster than Jonghyun would have liked. It had only been a few days, but Taemin’s tail had mended well enough that he could go back to the sea. He knew Jinki would tell him to let go soon, he knew he would have to let him free, but he didn’t want to, not yet. Deep down he felt he wasn’t close enough with Taemin. If he let him go now, wouldn’t he just run away? Wouldn’t he ditch him? That would only leave Jonghyun with more questions. 

Jonghyun sat on the lid of the toilet, watching the sleeping Taemin in the bathtub when Kibum gently knocked on the door in warning before opening it. 

“Hey..” Kibum said softly, there was a slight smile on his lips, but Jonghyun could sense he was trying to hold back his happiness. 

Jonghyun glanced up before looking back at Taemin, “What is it?”

“Jinki and I.. well, mostly Jinki thinks it’s about time for him to go home..” Kibum said, squatting down to Jonghyun’s level.

Jonghyun ran a hand through his hair, gripping it gently as he fought his desires. “Yeah, I know..” He sighed, “What do you think, Taemin? Is it time to go back?”

  
  


Taemin smiled, “Yeah! I want to see Minho again, and honestly, this water is getting.. gross.”

“There, he seems happy about it,” Kibum reassured Jonghyun, “We can drop him off and then.. go back to normal, you know? Have the vacation we planned for.”

“Normal?” Jonghyun looked up at Kibum almost with disgust, “How can we go back to normal when- when there are mermaids in the world?”

Taemin adjusted so his chin was resting on the side of the tub, the two were having a heated conversation, and he knew it was about him. He reached out to grab Jonghyun’s arm, “It’s not like this is goodbye forever,” he reassured Jonghyun, “I want to see you again. I want to see you every day, you’re special to me.”

Jonghyun bit his lip and looked back at Taemin, “I promise I’ll go see you.” His warm hand came on top of Taemin’s.

Taemin smiled up at him, “Sometimes it really feels like you understand me..” he sighed and let go, falling back into the water.

* * *

It was long after the sunset when the three men surrounded Taemin. He looked at Kibum threateningly but calmed when Jonghyun’s arms wrapped around his torso. He still didn’t like Kibum, he couldn’t understand that human, and that human seemed to be interested in Jonghyun. All Taemin wanted to do was protect Jonghyun from him.

Taemin was carried through rain, the droplets burning his skin as they pooled in his lap. He grunted but didn’t fight the men carrying him. Deep down he wished there was an easier way, deep down he wished he had legs so he didn’t have to go back at all. 

It wasn’t long until the three men brought him to the shore. Before him, the waves crashed. They sounded louder than he remembered, the sounds of the land people world had been so different, even the waves breaking against the shore was more cacophonous. They lowered him into the water until his tail was free. He was tempted to shoot off into the water, but he stopped and took Jonghyun’s hand. 

“Stay here, please.. Promise me you’ll come back,” Taemin insisted, “You’re important to me, I don’t know why but please.”

Jonghyun squeezed the hand back, although he didn’t know just what Taemin was saying, he understood the sentiment well enough, “I’ll come back and see you whenever you want me to.”

Taemin gave a brief head nod and let himself slip deeper until only his head was above the water. He looked back at the three men one last time before dipping beneath the waves.

He didn’t know if they would stay, but he needed to find Minho as quickly as possible. He darted through the water, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the sea. His world looked different down here, it was cold, lonely. As he passed a school of fish they shimmered in the dim light and disappeared back into their homes. He watched them in wonder, his eyes focused on them as they looked up in fear. For the first time in his life, he felt almost a kinship with them, reminded of his fears when he first met the land people.

He was deep in thought, watching the fish when he ran into something soft. His head collided with someone’s stomach and when he looked up he saw Minho’s tear-filled face. 

“Taemin!” Minho wrapped his arms around the smaller man and spun them around in his excitement, “Oh my god I thought you were dead! I swore.. I- I couldn’t live with myself! Do you know how long it’s been?? I’ve had to hide from the guards looking for us all this time.”

Taemin grinned, pulling his friend closer, “It’s alright..” he smiled, “There are some land people I’d like you to meet.”

“L- Land people?” Minho stammered, his hold on Taemin loosening, “Taemin, we have to go back to the castle, I’m sure your father is worried sick about you!” 

Taemin furrowed his brow, “I don’t want to go back! Not now, not ever!” 

“Taemin,” Minho approached him again with his calming voice, but Taemin wasn’t receptive to Minho’s tricks, any attempt to pull him from what he was focused on wouldn’t be well received. He had one goal right now, and that was to be with the land people as much as possible.

“Don’t ‘Taemin’ me,” Taemin pushed Minho away, “If you don’t wish to see my new friends then fine, I’ll just live with them instead.”

Minho stood his ground, balling his hands into fists, “Taemin, your father is practically tearing the kingdom apart looking for us, and- and you just want to play with some.. Land people?” Taemin could hear Minho’s disgust at the word and he narrowed his eyes.

“Those people saved my life. If they hadn’t found me I could still be stuck there, dead.” Closing his eyes, Minho took a deep breath, but before he could speak, Taemin took it upon himself to remind Minho of his place, “You may be hired by my father, but you are my keeper, and more importantly, my friend.” There was a disappointment in his voice and Minho looked guilty. 

Minho wiped the pearl tears from his eyes and swam closer to Taemin, “I’m sorry..”

“You don’t need to worry, if my father asks us why we’ve been gone for so long I’ll just have to tell him we got lost. You know how these currents can be during the storms.” Taemin winked and took Minho’s hand, “Now come, I want you to meet someone.”

When the two surfaced, Jonghyun was sitting on the beach, hugging his legs to his chest. Taemin glanced around only to see the other two were laying on the sand, their feet barely in the water. Taemin grinned, “Come on Minho, I have a plan..” He swam slowly towards the two on the shore he made sure to be lined up with Kibum before he grabbed the man’s foot, pulling him into the water a little.

Kibum screamed out in fear, but Taemin only laughed, rolling around in the surf.

Jonghyun heard his cries and ran to see what was the matter, but when he saw Taemin his face lit up. “You came back!”

“Of course I did,” Taemin chuckled, “Don’t be silly..” He turned around to look for Minho and frowned when he noticed the top of his head peeking around a dark black rock. 

Taemin rolled his eyes, “Minho, I'm serious.. Get out here.”

Minho didn’t speak, he was hesitant, his fingers carefully letting go of the rock before he swam slowly closer to Taemin. For once, he was the one hiding behind Taemin. Despite his strength, he had no power here and he knew it.

“Stop being a guppy,” Taemin mumbled under his breath when he felt Minho’s arms wrap around his waist for protection. 

Jonghyun stepped delicately into the water but when he did Minho tightened his grip.

“Come on Ming..” Taemin whispered and wiggled out of his grasp to approach Jonghyun. He could see the man’s smile in the darkness and couldn’t help his grin in return.

“You’re so strong!” Jonghyun smiled, “You look even better in the water! Is this your friend?” When the land person pointed at Minho he could feel Minho backing away more.

“Yes! This is Minho, a good friend of mine!” Taemin smiled, pulling Minho closer to shore so he could sit beside him.

“He- He can understand us?” Minho asked curiously. 

Taemin looked at Minho, happy to see the man express his curiosity, “Yes, well.. Jonghyun can.. Kibum and Onew aren’t.. gifted like Jonghyun is.”

“Have you asked him why?” Minho asked.

Taemin looked back at Minho in annoyance, “No, out of all the questions I asked, that one never crossed my mind.. Of course, I asked him!”

“And?”

“And.. he can hear us, the others can’t, but something about.. Maybe our gills or something, he can’t understand us.”

Minho pursed his lips, “I see..”

When Taemin looked back at Jonghyun he saw Kibum and Jinki had joined him. He took Minho’s arm and pulled him closer, “This is Minho!” Taemin explained but when Jonghyun cocked his head to the side he wrote the characters in the sand.

Jonghyun’s face lit up and he pulled out the glowing device from before. It was an odd thing, there hadn’t been anything like that in their kingdom, he wondered if he could take one back with him to show his brother.

“Min? Like.. jade? A stone?” Taemin nodded and waited patiently for him to translate the other character. “Ho, great or extraordinary.. Is that right?” Taemin nodded,

“So Minho,” Jonghyun said and smiled to the other man, “You’re Minho..” 

It was Kibum who stepped closer to look at Minho which only made the man self-conscious. He tried to hide behind Taemin as best he could. He knew he didn’t look as royal and ethereal as Taemin. His hair was only red due to a potion mixed by the potions master in the Capital, but his tail was dark compared to Taemin. He looked gruff, he looked like a commoner, and he was sure it showed.

“Stop being weird,” Taemin grumbled, swimming a bit away from Minho to expose him more to the others.

“I’m not being weird! That one is looking at me too much!” Minho defended.

Taemin raised his eyebrows, “Maybe.. he likes you,” He grinned, “Maybe you should talk to him hmm? Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“N- No thanks.” Minho reached down to pick at his scales anxiously, but his cheeks were blushing

Jonghyun knelt in the water, “Taemin,” He addressed the prince who swam a little closer.

“What is it, pretty landman?” Taemin asked, resting his elbows in the sand.

“It’s getting late for us.. Can we meet you tomorrow?” Jonghyun asked and Taemin couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

He nodded anyway, “Yeah, tomorrow we can meet again!” 

Jonghyun smiled and nodded to him, “Then, we will see you both tomorrow.” 

Taemin backed up with Minho and watched as the three left. It was sad to see them leave. He knew they said they would meet again, but what if that was just a land person trick? He looked at Minho once they were out of sight and shook his head.

“That went well, right? They don’t think you’re weird, right?”

Minho shook his head, “It’s late, Taemin I’m sure they’re just tired, as you should be as well.” He ducked under the water and when Taemin followed he could see Minho yawning beneath the waves. 

“I’ve barely slept since I lost you.. I’m looking forward to a comfortable night’s sleep.”

Taemin hummed, “Let’s go back to the cave,” He suggested, not wanting to go home just yet, and without hesitation, Minho agreed. He smiled to himself and enjoyed their swim back to a familiar place.

It was nice to stretch his fins again, to finally be free of the small confines of the tub. In his heart, he missed the land people, but being in the water and having freedom was valuable enough to him that he appreciated being back in the ocean, for now.


	5. Jonghyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late release of this chapter!! New years day was quite busy for me, but happy new year!! Thank you for continuing to read ^^ and I love all of your comments! Thank you so much!

When the two walked back, Jonghyun kept a hold on Kibum’s waist, guiding the tired man back to their pension. They mostly walked in silence, Jinki following them closely from behind. Since they had treated Taemin, Jinki had taken to sleeping on their couch some nights before heading back to work the next morning.

When the three returned to their place, Kibum sat at the table and Jonghyun soon joined him.

“So, we’re going back to see them tomorrow?” Kibum was the first to ask, resting his head on Jonghyun’s shoulder.

Jonghyun nodded, “Yeah, I want to..” 

“Good,” Kibum whispered, his eyes closing as sleep threatened to take over. 

“Good?” Jonghyun smiled, clearly incredulous, “I- I thought you didn’t like Taemin.”

Kibum shook his head, “Shh, let me sleep.” 

Smirking, Jonghyun let Kibum drift off. He carried his friend up to bed, ignoring the mess they had left behind, that was something they would need to clean up later. 

The next morning, Jonghyun awoke bright and early despite the few hours he had slept. Although he was exhausted, his excitement drove him to get ready for his day. He started with cleaning the bathroom, making sure to remove every scale. He didn’t want to leave any evidence of the merman, afraid of the questions that would follow from the pension owner. 

He dressed into a pair of swim trunks and a tank top and ran down in order to start working on the kitchen. When he made it to the bottom of the stairs he found Jinki avidly writing in what looked like a journal. 

“Jinki?” Jonghyun started, but the man closed the book and turned with a smile. 

“Yes, Jonghyun? You’re up quite early, here to make some breakfast?”

Jonghyun glanced around the room to see most of the mess had been taken care of. “Yes, well I was here to clean but,” He smiled a little, “Looks like you’ve taken care of that.”

Jinki nodded, “I got up earlier than I expected so thought I might as well help out a bit. It’s the least I can do for you putting me up for the past few nights.”

Jonghyun hummed and glanced at the fridge, “So, how about something yummy, Kibum grabbed some bakery things from the cafe down the street, we can just have that.” 

“Not exactly a chef?” Jinki asked.

“No, that’s Kibum’s strength! My strength is cutting vegetables,” Jonghyun glanced behind him to see Jinki slipping the notebook into his work bag and kept the information for later. Typically he wouldn’t be interested in the book, but given how guilty Jinki seemed, it led him to be overly curious. 

Jinki set his bag down and sat at the table, looking at the spread of snacks Jonghyun had put out.

“I don’t know if you’re working today,” Jonghyun said as he sat down, “But Kibum and I are going back to see Taemin and his friend. You’re welcome to join us, of course.” 

Jinki nodded, “The rain seems to have cleared enough for it.”

Jonghyun hummed and left it at that, eating in silence while he waited for Kibum to wake.

___

It was 10 when they finally left the house. Despite Kibum’s negative attitude the past few days, he seemed to actually be looking forward to seeing the mermen from the day before. 

“Isn’t it.. A bit too public to be seeing them during the day?” Jinki asked, squinting as the sun peeked out from behind a fluffy cloud. The weather had finally broken for this sunny moment and the beach was filled with families wishing to soak up this moment of sun on their vacation. 

“Taemin said he would be here.. And I trust that,” Jonghyun glanced back at Jinki and noticed the man had his tote bag still which only heightened Jonghyun’s suspicion. 

Jonghyun led the men to a more secluded part of the beach, balancing on the sharp volcanic rock as they made their way to the water. 

Jonghyun squatted down at the water's edge, “Please give me a sign..” He whispered, closing his eyes. He wondered if he would be able to hear Taemin in his mind as he had only a few times before. The probability of Taemin being close to them was quite slim, however. 

Kibum knelt down beside him, “See anything interesting?” He asked, looking out at the sea.

Shaking his head, Jonghyun stood, brushing the dust from his knees. “No.. I don’t. Come on, let’s walk along the shore.” 

Kibum nodded and followed Jonghyun as they headed farther away from the main beach and into the rocky outcroppings. Luckily for them, there was no one exploring the small tidepools.

As they got further and further Jonghyun felt as if he could sense something. He paused and held his hand out to stop the others, “I- I feel like they’re close.. I can hear Taemin.”

“You- you can hear a creature that is in the water?” Jinki asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jonghyun shrugged, “Taemin and I have a special connection..”

“Keep going,” Taemin’s voice whispered in Jonghyun’s mind and Jonghyun looked into the water, trying to see any sign of Taemin. It was a brief moment, but he swore he saw a white fin briefly poke out of the water. It was small enough that the average person would have assumed it was just a fish, but Jonghyun knew it was Taemin. He followed the signs of Taemin’s tail. They were far enough now that the sounds of children playing were lost, the whistles from the lifeguards were only faintly in the distance and Jonghyun knew it was time.

“Now, we swim,” He pulled his tank top off and tossed it onto the rocks beside him. 

Kibum looked at Jonghyun, “Are you serious? It’s- There are no lifeguards! Isn’t it dangerous?” 

“We don’t need lifeguards,” He grinned, “We have our new friends.” Without hesitation, he slipped into the water and swam out a little. It wasn’t long until he felt a slimy hand on his foot and he giggled at the feeling. 

Kibum looked in the water and saw Taemin holding Jonghyun’s foot while a little deeper Minho hung in the shadows. The sight was enough for him to toss his shirt and slip in as well. The water was cold but was a nice contrast compared to the heat and humidity coming from the hot summer air. 

Taemin’s head poked out of the water and he looked at Jonghyun, his hands grabbing the man’s face, pinching his cheeks as his tail wrapped around one of Jonghyun’s legs to keep them steady. The tail’s strength was incredible as it flexed against him, working constantly to keep them there.

“We’re going to the caves, there.. We can be more comfortable.” Taemin said, leaning forward to nuzzle against Jonghyun’s neck.

The intimate feeling made Jonghyun blush a deep crimson. “Y- Yeah,” He said, his voice breathless. He let his arms wrap around Taemin to keep himself steady. His eyes locked with Taemin’s and he could see an eagerness behind them, but his focus was quickly broken when he looked back to see Kibum with Minho.

From his perspective, the two seemed to be examining each other. Kibum would tentatively hold up his hand and Minho would place his hand against Kibum’s, giving Kibum the opportunity to inspect it. He lost his balance a little and Minho’s arm wrapped around Kibum’s waist, keeping him steady. The sight of the two of them made Jonghyun blush. He was almost jealous of their immediate intimacy. 

He looked up and saw Jinki hesitating. 

“Come on, we’ll wash your clothes, don’t worry about it!”

Jinki looked between the four of them, “You sure..? I don’t want to be a fifth wheel.”

“Nonsense,” Kibum looked back at Jinki, his hand resting on Minho’s strong shoulder to keep himself steady, “You’re part of this too, don’t be weird about it.”

Jinki gulped and removed his shorts leaving only his boxers, “Alright..” He carefully got in the water.

Once the five of them were together, Taemin loosened his hold on Jonghyun and guided Jonghyun’s hands to his shoulders. 

“Hold on,” Taemin instructed, “We’ll go underwater a bit, so hold your breath.”

Jonghyun bit his lip as he tried to understand the words but nodded, His hands tightened on Taemin’s shoulders and he was tempted to wrap his legs around the merman’s waist but felt as if that were encroaching on his space somehow. When he glanced behind him, Minho was doing the same with Kibum, Kibum’s hands were on Minho’s shoulders, and his legs wrapped around the merman’s strong torso. He almost tutted but looked forward again once he saw Jinki was holding onto Kibum as well. 

Without much of a warning, Taemin took off, they sped through the crystal clear water, swimming to a small outcropping of rocks deeper in the water. Taemin took Jonghyun below the surface and he held his breath, briefly opening his eyes to see the beginnings of a reef-forming below him. 

When they popped out of the water again he took a deep breath anticipating to duck under again, but they were far enough away by that point no one would be able to see them. Taemin pulled Jonghyun along and it wasn’t long before they made it to a cave. It was as if they were on some secret island away from the rest of the world as the opening to the cave faced the water.

Taemin let Jonghyun walk through the sand and sit on the small sandy beach that had formed in the pocket of volcanic rock. He stayed so his feet could be in the water, making him feel closer to his new friend.

Beside them Kibum and Jinki emerged, sputtering. Taemin punched Minho’s shoulder, “You made them stay underwater for too long!” He reprimanded and Minho gave him a sheepish look.

Jonghyun looked at the two, “Are you guys okay?” He asked, placing a hand on Kibum’s arm. 

“Y- Yeah, I’m fine,” Kibum insisted, he glanced back at Minho and smiled a bit, “That was worth it, believe me.”

Jonghyun glanced between Kibum and Minho and smirked. The two were staring at each other as if they were the only ones in the world. He filed the information into the back of his mind, reminding himself to tease Kibum once they were back at the pension.

“Taemin,” Jonghyun addressed, “Who is your friend?” He asked, pointing to Minho, “I mean, how did you meet?”

Taemin looked at Jonghyun and opened his mouth to speak but closed it as he looked away in thought. Jonghyun went to tell him it was okay, but before he could Taemin disappeared into the depths. It only took a few moments before Taemin returned with a bag made of some sort of twine tied into various knots. Taemin pulled out a few shells and things, placing them on the shore before he pulled out some sort of crest bracelet and put it on his wrist. He then tucked his hair back to reveal the gold circlet from before, its aquamarine gem glimmering in the dim light of the cave.

Kibum gasped, “He’s.. royalty?”

“I- I noticed it before but..” Jonghyun leaned forward and looked at the expensive-looking crown, ”It looks more impressive now in the light.” 

Taemin shook his head and pointed to the crown, “I’m a prince, and Minho is my..” he looked at Minho as his voice trailed off, “My servant? Well, he’s more than that, he’s more like my right-hand man!”

Jonghyun looked between the two, “So you’re royalty, clearly, and Minho..” He looked at the man who shied away from Jonghyun’s gaze despite his rippling muscles. “Minho must be your.. guard or something?”

Taemin gave a nod but then pointed to Kibum and Jonghyun before pointing to himself and Minho, “Friends, we’re friends.”

Somehow through the odd speech Jonghyun was able to decode the word friend and smiled, “So, even though he’s meant to protect you, or work for you or whatever, you’re still friends.”

Taemin nodded and took the various shells he had collected and started handing them to Jonghyun, Kibum, and Jinki. He gave Jonghyun the nicest looking ones while the others got whatever was left. Minho seemed to get upset by this and started taking some of the shells from Taemin’s grasp and giving them to Kibum with a smile. This only riled up Taemin who grumbled something about Minho’s stupidity, snatching them back.

Jonghyun laughed at the two of them, “I don’t mind what shells I get, the gift is a kind gesture.” He reassured them.

While the four of them talked, Jinki stayed back and observed, watching them all with curiosity. He was starting to recognize some behaviors he only saw in the ocean.

Jonghyun noticed the silence behind him and looked back at Jinki in hopes to include him a bit, “What do you think? Impressive, right? Is Taemin healing well?”

Jinki nodded, “He looks a lot better now, his color is coming back.” 

Jonghyun smiled, “Good, we need him as healthy as he can be.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying their company. While they couldn't communicate well, Taemin and Minho were eager to interact with them. Minho was getting increasingly more comfortable with Kibum to the point that he came out of the water and let Kibum run his hands over his scales and tail. Meanwhile, Jonghyun and Taemin continued to try and communicate and Jinki just listened in, sitting back and observing. 

\---

On their walk home that night, Kibum avidly spoke, he couldn’t remove the smile from his face. “Oh my god, and when he fought with Taemin to give me the shells?! That was so cute! And his face, isn’t it just.. something else? He looks like.. Like a Greek god or something from a fairytale!”

Jonghyun snorted, “That’s because he basically is! Both of them are..”

“And! And he let me touch his tail! It- it was so different, I don’t know what I was expecting., but like when I touched Taemin’s to treat him it didn’t feel right, but touching Minho just-”

Jonghyun held up his hand, “Do you have a crush on him or something?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, “You, uh, seemed to enjoy touching his chest a little too much.”

Kibum gulped and looked back at Jonghyun, “I- I may have enjoyed that.. But no! I don’t like him, how could I? He’s a.. He’s not human..” he corrected. 

The group got back to the pension and Jonghyun took it upon himself to address Jinki who had been quiet the whole afternoon.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked as the three sat around the dining room table. 

“A lot..” Jinki ran a hand through his hair, “I’ve been tracking their behavior, and there’s a lot of interesting things happening.” He leaned forward in his chair and folded his hands together.

“Like?” Kibum asked impatiently.

“Like..” He chewed his lip, “and this is just what I’ve noticed, but, many, no, most mammals in the sea have some sense of imprinting in their nature. Meaning, for example, sea lions, as well as otters, are capable of imprinting on humans and seeing them as their kin. There was this aquarium in America that would care for abandoned otter pups as they grew before letting them out into the wild again, but after a few months of starting the program, the adult otters would approach surfers on the nearby beach. They imprinted on humans instead of their own family and felt comfortable around them.”

“Well, I don’t see any problem with that,” Jonghyun frowned, “Wouldn’t it be cute to be approached by an otter?”

Jinki gave Jonghyun a sinister look, “Humans are stupid.. they would think of them as some sort of pet and hurt them.” He shook his head, “But that doesn’t matter, from what I’ve noticed of the mermen is.. their attachment to each of you.”

Jonghyun frowned, that also didn’t seem like a problem and he was about to voice this opinion when Jinki put up his hand.

“At first, I recognized Taemin’s attachment to you, Jonghyun. He wouldn’t let anyone touch him other than you. This behavior I easily justified, however. It makes sense for him to be attached to you given that for some odd reason you both can communicate, but then.. We met Minho, and the same happened between him and Kibum, and at a much faster pace than the two before.”

Kibum furrowed his brow, “So what could this mean?”

Jinki leaned back and rubbed his face, “It could mean they see you as potential mates, it could mean they see you as family and trust you more to a certain extent?”

Jonghyun snorted at the word mates, “N- No, that’s not it.. They’re just interested in us is all..”

Jinki chewed his lip, “I don’t think so.. The way they fought over those shells says otherwise.”

Jonghyun pursed his lips, “Well, anything else you found out?”

“Knowing that they have royalty tells me they have laws and a sense of organization in the sea, it makes me wonder how many more merpeople there are? Are there some off of the coast of Japan? Do they have shoguns instead of kings? Taemin’s crown was far too small to be considered a king, and by the looks of his face and body compared to Minho, he has to be a prince, so if there is a king, surely he has rules against what Taemin is currently doing, which would put you both in trouble if they have bonded to you.”

Jonghyun listened intently to Jinki’s rambling thoughts, “If we’re going to find out the answers to your questions, we need to figure out a way to communicate with them, and fast. I’m not sure how much time we have left with them before they grow bored and leave us.”


	6. Taemin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of an early posting today~ I hope you enjoy it ^^ we're nearly at the halfway mark now!

Taemin and Minho swam back to their hideout in silence. Taemin couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about what happened back there changed how Taemin felt about Minho. He was no longer just a bumbling servant, but a man, a man who had found someone to love. Even if Minho wouldn’t admit it, Taemin could sense it, the shift in the water between them.

When they neared their small cave Taemin opened his mouth to try and bring about a conversation but his mouth remained open in shock as two guards swam up to them, grabbing Taemin’s arm and subsequently Minho’s.

“The king is incredibly worried about you Prince Taemin. You must come back with us.” The man who grabbed him said.

Taemin attempted to break free from the man’s grasp, but he was too strong and Taemin eventually had to accept his fate, he was the king’s youngest son after all. If he was in danger, the king would have searched far and wide for him.

The four of them swam for hours, through the empty seas. They would pass shipwrecks and schools of fish, fishing boats, and man-made structures that had been there as long as Taemin could remember. Once they were past the obvious signs of land people, that's when they began to approach their sprawling city. Stones were carved into homes, and looming in the distance, a volcano sat towering over the town. It was their source of heat and their source of life through the thermal vents that radiated from within the volcano. And, more importantly, it was the castle, where Taemin would need to face the king.

When they approached citizens out on an evening stroll, some with their pets, the citizens would stop and politely bow, but when they passed them Taemin swore he could hear their whispers, questions, and judgments.

They were taken into the castle by the front entrance and were led to the main throne room. Taemin and Minho found themselves being set in front of the King, and Taemin kept his head bowed sheepishly. The guards left them in silence and once they were alone Taemin looked up at his father, ready to apologize, but instead, his mother pulled him close and hugged him tightly against her chest.

“I was so worried about you, we all were,” She said, squeezing him a little before she let him go, behind her Taemin could see his father's rage but knew his mother would protect him this time. 

“Prince Taemin,” His father addressed, standing tall before him, “You disobeyed me and put yourself at risk, even worse, you’re injured!” He pointed to the wounds that were still healing. “You are prince, you must be an example to the people, and just running off like that-”

“Yeobo,” Taemin’s mother looked back at the King, “We don’t know what happened, don’t yell at him like that.”

“He was reckless! You know how he is, you know he puts himself in danger for no reason!” Taemin’s mother opened her mouth to defend Taemin again, but the king only shook his head and looked back at Taemin, “You are forbidden from going to the reef from here on out. Your days off will be spent with your brother and if that bores you, you may continue your studies in the castle.”

Taemin furrowed his brow and swam to his father, ready for a fight, but Minho reigned him in, “Taemin..” 

“As for you,” The king addressed Minho, “It was your job to protect him, was it not? I should make you a sacrifice to the sharks for this.” 

“That’s enough!” Taemin defended Minho, standing between his friend and his father, “It was storming, I got caught in the surf and was stuck between two rocks if it wasn't for Minho I would be- I would be land people food by now!” He lied but did passionately enough that his mother approached Taemin and tried to console him but Taemin pushed her away. “I’m going to my room,” He mumbled, “And Minho is coming with me.”

The king didn’t seem happy about Taemin talking back like that, but the Queen held him back, as Taemin and Minho left the throne room.

* * *

That night, after Taemin had eaten, the physician looked over his wounds, complimenting Minho as he did so, impressed with their cleanliness. Minho brushed off the compliments, acting as if he knew what he was doing when in reality it had all been a land person’s work.

When they were finally alone, Taemin in his bed and Minho waiting patiently as a guard at the door until he fell asleep, Taemin was reminded of everything he hated about this place.

Taemin was merely a prince, the younger son, destined for nothing. His eyes traced the ceiling covered in soft blue lights that illuminated his chamber but when he closed his eyes, he was greeted with the image of the land people’s rooms. He remembered the smooth tiles he would run his hands over at night as he tried to memorize them, he remembered the bright light that could be turned on and off on command and how fascinating that had been. His mind wandered to the humans themselves, he was amazed by Jonghyun and the compassion he showed to Taemin as well as his ability to communicate with both of them. It was odd but equally as intriguing. 

“I can’t do this,” Taemin whispered before he sat up to look at Minho, “I- I can’t stay here and go back to normal after all of that.”

“Oh thank god,” Minho let out a sigh of relief, “I didn’t want to be the only one who felt like that.”

Taemin grinned and swam up to Minho, “You’re in love, yes, but I want to know more about the humans, and I know my father will never allow that.”

“What are you proposing?” Minho asked.

“Running away, far away so we never have to come back again.” Taemin left Minho’s side to swim about the room, filling a satchel with things he deemed necessary and trinkets that would remind him of his mother. “Pack whatever you’d like, and I’ll make sure to bring plenty of money.” He instructed Minho as he flitted about the room.

Minho left for his own chambers to pack a simple bag, some clothes, some memorabilia, something to make him look pretty for Kibum. Ever since he was a boy he had lived in the castle, growing up alongside the prince. Any memory of his family was small. His life revolved around Taemin’s, and now it would revolve around Kibum. 

When Minho left his chambers for the last time he was greeted by Taemin’s eager face. “Let’s go,” Taemin said, grabbing Minho’s wrist, “I can’t wait a second longer.”

Minho nodded, “Let’s take the back exit, we can escape quietly then.”

Taemin turned and led them through the quiet halls. It was late now, most of the castle staff was asleep. They passed a few guards, but nothing Taemin couldn’t handle. He lied, telling them he missed being home and wanted to visit the library, or he wanted some fresh air after being gone for so long. 

It didn’t take long until they were freely roaming above the city that glowed below them. Most people had gone in for the night giving them the chance to escape with as few witnesses as possible.

They approached the edge of town in silence, but before they could cross that line to freedom, Minho grabbed Taemin’s wrist.

“Wait, Taemin.. There’s one more thing I want to do before we leave,” Minho said softly, pulling a cloak from his bag he wrapped it around Taemin’s shoulders and pulled the hood up to conceal his face. 

“Minho, what is the meaning of this, we’re trying to escape quietly,” Taemin frowned, tempted to pull his hand away, but Minho gripped tighter and pulled the prince towards him.

Minho glanced around himself before talking in a low voice, “You may not love Jonghyun, but I love Kibum. I’ll need a more.. permanent solution if I wish for my love to be realized.”

Taemin blinked, unsure of what Minho was saying, but he nodded, “I trust you then.” 

The two turned back and swam along the edge of the town. These were the poorer neighborhoods. The farther away from the heat source you were, the cheaper the home. These huts weren’t made of the carved stone as those closer to the capital. They were instead made of what had been carved out of those rich homes, piled into small huts. They swam nearly a quarter around the city until Minho turned and darted through the smaller dimly lit paths. These paths were too small to carry heavy traffic, even a simple method of transport such as a ray couldn’t fit between the crowded buildings. 

“On land,” Taemin said to Minho, “They have houses with rooms that sit one atop another. If my father were smarter than an eel he would do something like that to prevent people from living like this. It’s just awful.”

Minho sighed, “This is as it always has been.. And so it always shall be, until your brother is King.” 

Taemin pursed his lips and opened his mouth to fight back, but Minho fanned out his tail behind him, stopping Taemin. “Here. We’re here.” 

This home was the bridge between those who struggled and those who had some sense of wealth. The carved out home had a shop in the front which appeared to be selling medicine of some kind. The prices were lower than Taemin had seen, and he quickly put together that this shop must only serve those in the outer districts. 

There were beads that covered the doorway, signaling that the shop was closed, but Minho soldiered on anyway. He ran a hand across the beads and it wasn’t too long until a young mermaid poked her head out to see Minho. She put a hand over her mouth in shock but bowed to the Prince.

“I- I’m sorry your majesty, but we are closed at this hour,” She announced. 

Taemin looked at her face when she righted herself and narrowed his eyes. There was something oddly familiar about this girl that he just couldn’t place.

It was Minho that spoke up, drawing her familiar eyes away from Taemin. “No, it’s fine, I’m here to see your grandfather. Is he in?” Minho asked.

She smiled, “Yes! Please come in.” The young woman led them in through a side door leading them directly into the home portion of the building. “You’re quite lucky.” She said as she brought them to a small sitting room. “He leaves at dawn tomorrow to fetch more supplies. Wait here, I’ll make some tea and let him know you’re here.”

Once she was gone, Taemin looked at Minho. He couldn’t tell if he was impressed with the servant or surprised, but either way he was curious. “How in the world do you know these people?”

Minho looked back at Taemin and hesitated, “I- I like to talk with folks when you’re taking classes. It.. keeps me social.” 

“No, I mean how do you know these specific people?” Taemin asked more directly, refusing Minho just happened to meet a physician all the way out here by happenstance.

“It’s.. a long story, a story for the trip back.. But for now, keep your wits about you. I’m unsure of how this man will respond to you.”

Almost on cue an older merman entered the room with the mermaid trailing behind holding two bottles of tea. 

“Minho!” The merman smiled, shaking hands with Minho by the elbow, “It’s been quite some time since we last spoke, and you brought.. him with you, that’s nice.” The man looked nervous as soon as he noticed Taemin and Taemin could easily sense his discomfort.

“Please,” Minho smiled a bit, “I mean you no harm, nor does Taemin, but we need your help, it’s.. Urgent.”

The merman looked at Taemin and Taemin could see the fear in his eyes, but he looked back at Minho then, “What is it you want?”

Minho leaned forward then, speaking softly enough that the woman couldn’t hear him, “I wish to purchase one of your.. more exclusive products.” 

Taemin’s eyes were drawn back to the mermaid, when she looked away, it was something in her profile. As soon as he felt he had it, the old merman loudly spoke in his ear, making him lose his focus.

“Ah! Yes! Sodam, please go back to your chamber, I wish to show these men some of my more dangerous elixirs and I don’t wish to harm you by accident.”

“Y- Yes grandfather,” Sodam gave Minho and Taemin another bow before swimming deeper into their home. 

“Don’t mind her,” The merman smiled, “She still doesn’t.. understand the family business.” 

“No worries,” Minho smiled, “We’re ready to pay handsomely for your services.”

Taemin made a jab at Minho, still unsure about what these “services” would entail, and more importantly, he knew it would be his money being spent. He wasn’t feeling comfortable here anyway. Between the oddly familiar girl, the strange old man, and Minho’s eagerness to be here, it just didn’t feel right, but he kept his cool, for now. If this was as important as Minho was treating it, the details could be explained away later.

Once the old merman was sure it was safe, he swam to one corner of the room and lifted a flat stone that sat with a few kelp plants on top. Beneath the stone was a hole that led to who knows where. “Follow me,” he said, his voice low and commanding before he swam through the small hole and into the mystery place below.

Minho followed swiftly after leaving Taemin in the room alone. He contemplated anxiously whether or not he should go, but when he heard Minho calling him he had no choice but to follow. 

The three swam in nearly complete darkness for a few hundred meters before taking a hard right where Taemin could finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. When Taemin entered the round room he was surprised to find it as any ordinary room. On one wall stood a full bookshelf that was overflowing into small piles on the floor. On the opposite side, there was a desk that looked more like a display with necklaces of varying designs. 

“Pick one wisely,” the merman instructed, “You will need to wear it often.” 

Taemin looked them over with Minho, “Min,” He whispered once they had a moment to themselves, “What is all this?”

“I’ll explain about the man later, but for now.. We must pick a talisman. These will give us land people bodies.” Minho said softly as his eyes wandered over the jewelry. 

Upon hearing that, Taemin immediately snatched a ring from the table and was about to put it on when the old merman swam up to him quickly, grabbing his hand to stop him.

“Careful young prince,” He warned, “If you put it on now, how will you breathe?”

Taemin blushed and handed the man the ring, “I apologize.”

“It’s okay, I will give you a case to keep it safely in.”

Minho was also drawn to a silver ring and picked it up, handing it to the old man as well. “As I said, we will pay you handsomely, but I must remind you not to tell anyone of this.” 

“You need not worry about me. My only goal is to help those who wish to know true freedom.”

The man handed Taemin a closed clamshell, and placed his hands over Taemin’s once he was holding it, “When the time comes, it will open for you.” He instructed, “You must go to a far eastern point on the island. The way will be clear to you once you near it. When you emerge wearing your chosen talismans, my wife will find you and take you in. She can teach you everything you need to know about life on land.”

“How may we leave this place?” Minho asked, looking back at the dark hall behind him.

The old merman shook his head and pointed above himself, “swim through the vent, it’s your safest way out without being detected.”

Minho nodded, “We will pay you once we have found refuge with your wife, thank you again for your services.”

The merman smiled, “I am just doing what I feel is right. I will see you again on the surface tomorrow to help.”

When the two reached the ocean floor again, they were already outside the city limits, they were safe. As they swam off, their bags a little heavier than before, Taemin truly started to feel a sense of freedom, a freedom he had never felt before.

* * *

Afterward;

“Tell me something,” Taemin asked once they were well beyond the border of the town. “How did you know about that man? I’m pretty sure whatever he’s doing is illegal in the eyes of my father.”

“You don’t remember? I guess you were too busy daydreaming,” Minho teased, “There was a conference about it, your dad was concerned about this mystery man, so on a hunch, I went to check it out.” He smiled, looking back at Taemin, “The man was very kind, and I could tell his only motive was to help people, so I let him be.”

“And you remembered him after all this time?” Taemin asked impressed Minho would hold on to such information. 

Minho grinned, “I bring them food every once in a while, it’s obvious they’re struggling, and, I guess, we grew close over time.”

Taemin chuckled, “You’re so nice..”

“Someone has to make up for you, my prince,” Minho said teasingly only for Taemin to chase after him in his excitement.


	7. Jonghyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've wanted to reply to your comments but I've been too scared of spoiling anything!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter and it answers some of your questions ^^

It had been three long days since they had last seen the mermen. Whatever excitement their trip had gained after meeting the men was quickly lost in their absence. Jonghyun went back to the same set of rocks daily, he would double-check at night, he would triple check at dawn, but they were nowhere to be found. 

It was nearly the final day of their vacation and Jonghyun knew they were running out of time. He felt as if the answers to the many questions he had were slipping away. That evening he was sitting on the rocks, dangling his feet in the sea as he waited for some sort of sign. The rain had stopped and the moon was shining through the crystal clear water, surely he would see them in these conditions.

Kibum approached him and knelt down, his hand moving to rub his friend’s shoulder. “I thought I would find you here.”

Jonghyun turned to Kibum “I- I just.. I thought they would come eventually, they promised.”

Chewing his lip in thought Kibum only leaned forward to wrap his arms around Jonghyun’s waist, his head resting heavily on Jonghyun’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Kibum whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry, but we have a lot to look forward to, right? When you get home, you’ll go back to your radio show, I’ll get back to work too, and we're going to see your grandmother tomorrow right? She said your grandfather was in town for once too.”

The hug made Jonghyun feel warm, but he couldn’t help the emptiness he still felt within. It was as if Taemin had taken something with him when he swam off that afternoon.

“Yeah.. a lot to look forward to,” Jonghyun said, but his words didn’t match his thoughts and a tear rolled down his cheek, glimmering in the soft moonlight. 

He felt Kibum shift behind him, and before he knew it Kibum’s lips were on his shoulder, kissing him through the fabric gently, “Don’t think about it too much.. I’m here for you.”

Jonghyun froze, he never thought Kibum would be so bold, and now wasn’t the best time. “Kibum..” he whispered, and wiped his tears away, “Don’t do this..”

Kibum pulled back and placed his chin on Jonghyun’s shoulder again, “Why not?”

“Because you like Minho, and- and I just can’t right now, not with all this,” Jonghyun said, looking down at his cold feet. He was embarrassed he had to tell Kibum off like that, but he feared he had no choice.

The arms around his waist carefully loosened, and Jonghyun let Kibum go. He didn’t want to look back at the man but he suddenly heard a sniff behind him, and when Jonghyun turned, he could see Kibum was crying. 

“I’m sorry Jjong, but- but I just miss him so much,” Jonghyun pulled Kibum into his arms despite his frustrations. “I- I thought if I kissed you it would make me feel better.”

His hand petted Kibum’s hair as he rocked them back and forth, shushing Kibum who tried to control his emotions.

“I know.. I know it’s hard.” Jonghyun whispered, “I never want to leave this spot if it means we’ll see them again.”

“But we have to,” Kibum sobbed, burying his face in Jonghyun’s tank top.

“I know..”

* * *

The next morning, the two men didn’t speak about what had happened. In fact, they barely talked at all, packing their bags in silence only to mumble little reminders to each other.

Jonghyun felt restless, he knew he needed to visit his grandmother, he had promised her, but packing to leave their pension meant packing to leave the mermen. Jonghyun knew this, Kibum knew this, yet they continued to work in silence.

Checked out and with their bags packed in the back of the car, they drove away. Sitting in Jonghyun’s lap was a zipper bag of scales he had collected from Taemin and the shells the merman had given him on the beach. These items were the only remnants he had of Taemin, and he would cherish them forever. 

One night at his grandparent's house and the next day they would fly back to Seoul; the thought filled him with dread. They drove from the west side of the island to the east in complete silence. They didn’t blast music like they had done when they first picked up the car, they didn’t roll down the windows to feel the fresh sea air. It was as if they were in mourning. Jonghyun kept his gaze out the window, his fingers rubbing over the shells in the bag as if he wished to memorize their shapes.

“We should go back,” Jonghyun said as they passed Jeju city.

“Jjong, we’re halfway to your grandparents' place,” Kibum said, his hands gripping the wheel in his resolve.

“I know, I know, I mean.. Tonight, after we go to bed, let’s go back and check one last time,” Jonghyun insisted.

Kibum took a pause long enough for Jonghyun to feel he disagreed, but Kibum eventually nodded, “Yeah. Yeah, let’s go back tonight.” 

After Kibum agreed, Jonghyun’s gaze was brought outside again. He watched the trees pass and was left wondering. Maybe Taemin’s father, the king, found him and got mad, maybe they got sick, or maybe they got kidnapped.. Jonghyun’s mind flitted to every possibility apart from the only one it could have been, they grew bored, and they never wanted to see them again.

Kibum turned onto an unmarked road and followed the winding path shrouded in trees thick enough to block the sunlight. The jarring change in scenery pulled Jonghyun from his thoughts.

“Your grandparents are so odd.. Why do they run a b&b that’s so hard to find?”

Jonghyun shrugged, “Not sure, but they always have guests.” He smiled weakly, still not ready to be happy.

They finally left the dense forest and came upon a clearing, a flat plain on the water. The area was filled with traditional houses, hanok homes, it was as if they had stumbled upon a small town that had been protected from the modern world.

“Their house is the one right ahead, on the water,” Jonghyun instructed, “I’m sure they have someone that will help us with our bags.”

As the two pulled up and parked, Jonghyun’s grandmother appeared from the side of the house. As soon as she saw Jonghyun her face lit up and she waved eagerly.

“Grandson!!” She cheered when Jonghyun exited the car. She was a petite woman, short, but with a round face. Jonghyun knew life had been good to her and it showed on her face. Her deepest-set wrinkles were set in her smile and laugh lines, the sight only giving evidence to her fulfilling life.

Jonghyun hugged her close, “It’s been a while grandma,” he smiled. “And you said grandpa is back?”

“Yes! Your grandfather came in a few days ago, you’re lucky you caught him between fishing trips, he’s on the patio eating with some new friends.”

When Kibum approached the two, Jonghyun’s grandmother smiled, “Kibum! I haven’t seen you in so long, you’ve become even more handsome!”

Kibum smiled back, “You’re always too kind to me.”

She laughed a little and led them towards the back of the house where Jonghyun’s grandfather must be.

Jonghyun kept an eye on his grandmother as they walked. “Now, there were two boys about your age that came in a few days ago! I’m sure you can get along with them well,” She winked, “It’s their first trip, so I think they need some help having fun.”

Jonghyun nodded, “I’m sure we can-” He started but was cut off when Kibum elbowed him in the side strong enough to make him bend over in pain.

Jonghyun whipped around to tell Kibum off for being rude in front of his grandmother, but when he saw the look of shock but delight on his face, he turned back around to see his grandfather accompanied by two familiar faces.

Taemin’s long hair had been tied up in a bun to keep it off of his face. His face was just as perfect as he remembered it, but different. There were no longer scales on his cheekbones and jaw but the skin left behind was smooth and flawless. He tried to process what he was looking at, surely this wasn’t his Taemin, but the man next to him looked just like Minho, there was just no way. The information was hard enough to process as it was but when Taemin smiled back at him, he fainted into Kibum’s arms. 

//

Kibum was struggling with Jonghyun’s weight and soon Jonghyun’s grandfather, Taemin, and Minho were helping carry the man inside to the couch. Kibum glanced up to catch Minho’s eye and gulped, nearly dropping his friend when his attention was pulled back by Jonghyun’s grandfather instructing them to lay him down on the couch. Once he was settled, Taemin spoke in a clear voice, the sound was enough to take Kibum aback.

“Is he okay?”

Kibum gulped, the voice was so human, so natural, he wondered why he couldn’t understand it before. “Um, y- yeah just.. Tired is all.” He lied so as not to worry Taemin.

Minho stood back in the shadows, watching them fuss over Jonghyun. Kibum glanced up to meet Minho’s eyes for just a second but didn’t say a word, looking back at Jonghyun. He could feel the energy radiating from Minho, the draw was strong, but he needed to resist, for his friend.

//

When Jonghyun finally opened his eyes, he was greeted with Taemin’s. He blinked and Taemin blinked back. It was hard to miss the excitement in Taemin’s gaze. But he ignored it for a moment and sat up, “I’m so sorry Grandma. I think.. I think the heat got to me.”

Jonghyun’s grandmother pushed past Taemin and eagerly handed him a bowl of juk, a rice porridge. Jonghyun could see Taemin’s disappointment, but he had to keep it together, for now. “As long as you’re okay, that's all that matters! Eat this, it'll make you feel better.” 

Kibum furrowed his brow at Jonghyun, unsure why he was acting so weird, why he didn’t just say hello to Taemin, but he figured he wasn’t one to judge considering how he had ignored Minho this whole time.

“Kibum, stay with him, I’ll get some water,” His grandmother smiled, “Come on kids, everyone out, you’re overwhelming him!” Taemin and Minho reluctantly followed, giving Jonghyun some time with Kibum alone.

“Kibum..” Jonghyun whispered, “What happened?” 

“You saw the mermen and fainted, what did you think happened??” 

Jonghyun looked around the room and pulled Kibum close, “My grandmother can’t know that we know, okay? She just can’t..”

“Jonghyun-” Kibum started but Jonghyun was quick to interrupt him.

“She- She might not know they’re mermen, and if she does, I’m sure she has a good reason why she hasn’t told me.” Jonghyun argued, “She might think they’re just.. Just homeless kids or something!”

Kibum bit his lip, “I want to talk with them! I- I don’t want to hurt them.”

“We need to get them alone, we need to talk-” He whispered desperately, holding Kibum close by his collar, but was soon interrupted by Jonghyun’s grandmother’s return.

“Here! Some refreshing water, and more importantly, some medicine.” She approached the two and handed Jonghyun the cup. “You gave those boys quite the scare!” 

“Sorry grandmother, I haven’t eaten much today,” he explained, and it was true, they hadn’t eaten anything that morning.

She waved her hand, “Then we must change that! Come out to the garden when you’re ready, we have some fruit already laid out for you.”

“Thank you,” Jonghyun smiled and drank from the cool cup of water.

Once his grandmother left again, he looked up at Kibum, “She really doesn’t know.. She can’t know, we have to keep her away from this, okay?”

Kibum took a deep breath but nodded, “Yeah, okay..”

The two of them left the couch once Jonghyun felt comfortable standing again and carefully walked out to greet the others.

A picnic table had been set with a large array of seasonal fruit as well as some snacks. Jonghyun first looked at his grandmother and grandfather, thanking them for their hard work, but when he turned his head to catch Taemin’s eye he could feel his heart contort in his chest, it was as if he were being drawn to the man, compelled to be close with him, compelled to steal him away. On land the merman was thin, with a soft tan, the only purple remnants from his tail were tied up in his hair, but regardless, he was just as beautiful as before.

“W- What’s your name?” He asked carefully.

The answer came from a soft voice, no longer muddled, it was completely pure, like music to his ears. “Taemin, Lee Taemin, and you are Jonghyun.”

Jonghyun nodded, “That’s right..” He was hesitant to get too close and walked as if his footsteps would somehow scare Taemin away. He looked delicate, like a flower, he didn’t want to make him leave.

“Jonghyun?” Kibum said softly, trying to break him from his trance, he had been staring at Taemin as he walked and sat at the nearest bench to the prince.

Jonghyun finally broke his eye contact to look back at Kibum, “Sorry..” He mumbled and reached for a grape, in hopes that eating would prevent him from going too far again.

Kibum sat close to Minho but still avoided eye contact, knowing he would be drawn in again as soon as he looked into Minho’s eyes.

The silence that fell between the group was awkward, but Jonghyun’s grandmother soon broke it up, “Oh you silly kids! You’re acting odd, it’s as if you know them from somewhere!”

“No!” Jonghyun spoke up, looking at his grandmother, “no, no we, um.. Kibum and I are just.. Tired! We should find our rooms and, um, maybe take a nap! It was an early morning after all.”

“Yes, of course, where are my manners! You both will be staying in the main house with us. Taemin and his friend Minho are also staying just down the hall,” She smiled, “We don’t get many young people staying here you know.” 

Jonghyun could sense his grandmother was trying to give him a hint of some kind, something he should do, but he couldn’t place what it was. 

After stuffing their faces with some food and making their way to their own private rooms in the large traditional hanok style home, Jonghyun was itching to talk with Taemin. He hoped the now human merman would come and find them, he was sure they had just as many questions as he did. He paced on the wooden floorboards, nearly kicking over the low table that sat in the center of the room. It was nicely arranged with a tea set and flowers for guests who wanted more private relaxation. He was straightening the small table when a knock came from his door.

When he opened it, he was greeted with three familiar faces. Jonghyun grabbed Kibum’s hand and yanked him into the room.

“C- Come in,” He said to the others, and the two took off their shoes carefully, leaving them outside neatly. Jonghyun could recognize the trained behavior but didn’t speak on it until the door was shut behind them.

With their connection to the human world severed, finally, he felt he could speak. Without a second thought he hugged Taemin, his arms wrapping around the normal body, the small frame of the man before him, he felt so tiny in his arms. Taemin seemed to just take the hug at first but soon his arms were wrapping around Jonghyun’s waist as well.

“I was so worried about you,” He whispered, and Taemin only hugged him tighter. When they finally pulled away Jonghyun led them to sit on the floor at his small table. “Taemin, what are you doing here?” Jonghyun asked, still unsure if he was curious or concerned.

Taemin looked at Jonghyun, cocking his head to the side, “I couldn’t just stay at home, could I?” 

Jonghyun couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, “God I have so many questions for you, where to even start! And Minho!”

Minho and Kibum had both sat across from them, but the two were still very quiet. They hadn’t said a word to each other, yet between them, their hands were intertwined.

Minho nodded, smiling a bit and Jonghyun could see his hand squeeze Kibum’s gently. “I’m here too..”

“This was actually Minho’s idea,” Taemin grinned, “I- just, after being with you, I couldn’t stay at home, I didn’t even know there were merpeople who live on land, your own grandfather-! Well wait a minute, I should go back to the beginning. After we left you, we were taken back by my father’s guard, and he basically grounded me.. What a hagfish!”

“Taemin..” Minho spoke up then, “Don’t call your father a hagfish. He had his reasons.”

“Fine, anyway, we met this old man who could make us human because Minho wants to tie tails with Kibum as soon as possible, and now we’re here! Without your grandfather, we never would have been saved!”

“My.. grandfather?” Jonghyun asked, a little confused as to how he fit into the story, “Did his fishing boat find you or..?”

Taemin frowned, “Your grandfather’s a merman, didn’t you know?”

“M- My what? He’s.. he’s a fisherman, he isn’t a-”

Taemin laughed a little, “You don’t even know?? Is that why you were being so weird earlier? Jonghyun, why do you think you could communicate with me.. You’re part merman! I’m not sure how much, but definitely a part of you is merman..”

Jonghyun looked at Kibum who shrugged before looking back at Taemin, “You’re- You’re insane!” 

Almost on cue, Jonghyun’s grandmother knocked on the door, “Jonghyun? I brought you some tea, you can share with Kibum if you’d like.”

Jonghyun stood and opened the door a crack to keep her from seeing who was all in the room, “I’ll take it.” He reached for the tray, but his grandmother pulled it away.

“What’s going on in there,” She asked, a concerned look on her face.

Jonghyun frowned, “Nothing, just.. Let me take the tea.”

“Jonghyun.. If you’re with those boys-” She started but Jonghyun was quick to cut her off.

“So what if I am? It’s not like I’m keeping some big secret from you. It’s not like- like I’m hiding my heritage from you!” Jonghyun could feel the frustrations rising in him as Taemin’s words swirled in his mind. He could tell his grandmother was hesitant and pushed her further, “So what, I was just supposed to find out eventually on my own?” He asked, with even more incredulity.

“I- I wanted to, Jonghyun. Your grandfather and I, we both wanted to..” She whispered, her hands shaking as she nearly dropped the tea set.

Jonghyun placed his hands over her own, approaching her with a gentle voice compared to the raised tones from before. “Then tell me. It’s been 28 years, and I need to know.”

Jonghyun led her into the room, guiding her to sit with them. The group of boys were silent as she situated herself. “Where are my manners, the tea!” She smiled weakly and sat up so she could serve them, but Kibum put a hand on her shoulder, gently making her sit again.

“I’ll take care of it, you and Jonghyun need to talk.” He picked up the teapot and began pouring glasses for everyone.

Jonghyun’s grandmother fiddled with her dress, but Jonghyun patiently waited for her to speak up, she had waited this long, might as well give her a moment to formulate her words.

“A- As I said, my husband and I wanted to tell you, a long time ago, we.. initially planned to let you grow up alongside the merpeople, but then.. Sodam..”

Taemin’s head perked up, “We met her with your husband!”

Jonghyun’s grandmother nodded, “Sodam was born, and she was so beautiful, but.. She was born with a tail. Your mother panicked, your father.. Your father was a tyrant, he claimed your mother deceived him, that she had a child with some fish-man instead of him and..” She shook her head, the memories were still painful after all these years. Her gaze went back to her skirt, avoiding having to look Jonghyun in the eye. “He left your mother because of Sodam.”

Jonghyun hesitated, looking at his grandmother in confusion and disbelief, “I- I don’t understand, who is Sodam?”

She smiled and looked up from her skirt, “She’s your sister, your elder sister.”

Jonghyun felt as if the wind had been taken out of him, it was as if the information being revealed to him was too powerful, he couldn’t believe it. “I- I have a mermaid sister.. I have.. I am a mermaid I-” He reached down to brace himself as his breath quickened and his hand rested on Taemin’s. Taemin took Jonghyun’s hand into his own, and the heat from the man's touch alone was enough to calm him. 

“I’m sorry, I- I wanted to tell you., but your mother never wanted you to know. After Sodam was born, your father didn’t trust your mother anymore. He- He did awful things to her. Two years later she was pregnant again, your father.. Said the baby would be another abomination and left.” Tears were falling from her eyes, but she tried not to let it show knowing this was harder for Jonghyun than it was for herself.

“Abomination,” Jonghyun whispered, balling his free hand in a fist, “I’ll punch that asshole I-” 

Kibum cleared his throat, reminding him of the company they were surrounded with and he took a deep breath. 

“Sorry..” He looked at his grandmother who shook her head.

“Don’t be, he was a nasty man.. My daughter raised you without this knowledge to protect you.. I want you to remember that she never wanted to hurt you.”

Jonghyun closed his eyes and processed the information, his hand gently squeezing Taemin’s as he thought. He wanted to be angry still, he didn’t want to forgive his mother, not yet at least. 

“Now,” His grandmother smiled, “Tell me how you met these two. It’s not every day you get to be in the presence of a prince.”

Kibum spoke up then, giving Jonghyun the time and space he needed, “We found that prince trapped in the rocks, and then he introduced Minho to us..”

She nodded and looked between Kibum and Minho, realizing they were both still holding hands, “And.. I see you’ve taken a liking to Minho have you?”

Kibum nodded sheepishly, his cheeks turning a bright crimson.

“I knew that girl looked familiar,” Taemin said to Jonghyun’s grandmother, “The girl with the old man, I recognized her!”

Jonghyun looked to his grandmother then, “May I see her? I- I want to meet her.” 

His grandmother pursed her lips, but nodded, “If you know, she has the right to know as well. I’ll tell your grandfather-” She started to stand, but Jonghyun stopped her

“Wait! I still have questions, is he the merman? How did you two meet? Why isn’t my mom a mermaid?”

She chuckled, “That’s a fun story.. I told you we met on a fishing boat, right?” She shook her head, but her eyes still sparkled, “It was a good fake story for when you were a kid, but now that you’re an adult.. You deserve to know the truth.” She sighed, “It was when I was young and I was still training to dive, Hyunseok found me. My mother was forcing me to go deeper and deeper, to find more clams. I had my hand on one but it was stuck in this groove of stone and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get it out. I didn’t want to go back empty-handed, knowing my mother would scold me, but I kept at it. Just as I was about to pass out, Hyunseok found me. He filled my lungs with air when he kissed me, and brought me to the surface, far from my mother.” With a laugh, she looked at Jonghyun, “My mother never scolded me after that, and I was in love..” She looked out the window fondly at her husband who was picking fruit in their garden.

“And how did he make it for Taemin and Minho to be on land?” He asked eagerly, invested in her story.

“Ah, that.. That is his secret,” She winked, “Your grandfather is the one who gave them their legs. He lives half his life in the sea, and the other half with me, his life's work is to give those who fall in love as we did freedom.”

“So- So everyone here, they’re all just merpeople who became human?” He asked curiously.

She nodded, a glimmer in her eye as she smiled, “Now you’re getting it. It’s my job to get them accustomed to human life. Some of them enjoy it here so much that they stay, others travel all over. You never know, your best friend might be a merman!”

Jonghyun looked at Kibum and he shook his head, “Not me!”

The three laughed together. Jonghyun felt as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders. There were things that were beginning to make sense now, things he never could have explained before. 

“Now,” His grandmother stood, “I’m sure any of the merpeople related questions you can ask your friends. I’ll tell your grandfather to get Sodam..”


	8. Taemin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! But thank you all for the support ;; I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it!

~~Three days earlier.~~

Taemin and Minho had made their way to the outcropping of rocks. On their journey, they had seen signs announcing the direction they needed to go and religiously followed them. When they made it to the shore, Taemin was hesitant at first.

“Are we positive this is it?”

Minho chewed his lip, “It must be.. The signs stop here.”

“Then..” He pulled out the shell holding their rings, “I’ll put it on once we’re out of the water, okay?”

Minho nodded and took hold of his ring, holding it tightly in his fist. The two surfaced and Taemin took a deep breath. He looked around him, the vast ocean, feeling his tail beneath him. All he could think about was how he was going to lose this feeling, the water against his scales.. He would be human, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. When he turned he saw Minho’s hands working under the water to get his ring on and took a deep breath before doing the same.

The feeling was odd, at first he felt a tingle in his tail, “This isn’t too bad,” He said to Minho, but when he looked beside him, Minho was farther along in the process. He was clinging to the black rocks ahead of him, clinging to them for dear life, and that’s when the pain hit. It was as if his body was being split in two, he gripped the sides of his tail and cried out as the pain became too much to bear. 

The next thing Taemin knew he was being carried by someone much stronger than he was and laid onto a slab. Alongside him, he could see Minho. The man’s eyes were closed, but his face, the soft mint colored scales were gone, his ear was round instead of spiney on the back, he was human.

Taemin turned back to see an elderly woman smiling at him, “Welcome to the surface dearie. You’ve come a long way, Prince Taemin. It’s nice to have you join us.”

The woman bowed and Taemin frowned, “I- I understand you.” 

“Well, you are human after all.” 

“Human,” Taemin whispered. He suddenly sat up and looked down at himself, and replacing his long tail were two legs. They looked short compared to how long the tail had been, but he couldn’t help but run his hands over them. His hands! He held them up to his eyes, they looked just like Jonghyun’s only his nails still remained long for some reason. The thought of Jonghyun alone made him feel warm and happy. While his only goal had been freedom, deep down, some part of him held a deep desire he didn't understand.

The old woman smiled, “My name is Kim Junghee, but you can call me grandma!” 

“Grandma,” Taemin repeated but then smiled, “You’re the one that’s supposed to help us!”

“The very same,” She winked, “But first, that was very painful, I think you boys need some rest! I’ll keep you in the main house tonight, but not until Taeyeon’s finished with your check-up.” 

“Tae-” Taemin started, but when he looked over he could see a woman looking over Minho with metal tools. He furrowed his brow, feeling the need to protect his friend, but the woman smiled at him then. 

“Don’t worry, think of me as one of your shamans beneath the sea, I just need to make sure the transition was complete.” She held something up to Minho’s chest and hummed, “Sometimes they come in.. half baked.”

“Baked..” Taemin nodded and looked back down to inspect himself. His hair was beginning to dry, his skin was starting to turn soft and dry as well and he found himself touching over the small hairs that had replaced the scales on his forearms before he inspected his own chest, but when he made it to his waist he was confused by the white shorts he wore. “What’s this?” He asked, pulling at it until it fell back to his skin, making him giggle.

“Clothing,” The grandmother spoke, “All humans wear clothing, to keep us safe from the weather, and safe from others' eyes! In the sea, your tail holds your genitals. Up here, they’re just sort of out..”

Taemin pulled up the elastic band and blushed when he saw what the woman was talking about, “It.. it looks weird.” 

“Well, to a human, it looks normal! Believe me.” She smiled, “This is why we wear undergarments, which is what we had Siwon put you in.”

Taemin nodded and looked over to see Minho had the same. Once the two of them had been checked over, the grandmother led two men to their bedside, “They’re going to help you walk to your bedrooms.”

Taemin wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and the man held onto Taemin’s waist, supporting him. “Now, put your feet on the floor, flat. They need to hold you up.” Taemin tried what the man suggested and the two of them waddled down the hall with Minho being cradled in the arms of the man behind them. His friend was still passed out, and Taemin couldn’t help but be worried.

They were taken to a small room to share. Beds had been laid out on the wooden floor and Taemin was guided to lay down on the padding and blankets. 

The grandmother came in behind them and laid out a tray of fruit and vegetables. All the food looked foreign to him, but it looked appetizing somehow. The bright colors drew him in.

“Something for if you’re hungry,” She explained, “These are traditional beds, it’s not that common anymore, but they’re safer for you boys. You’re not used to staying in one spot to sleep.” 

Taemin nodded, placing his hands over the soft fabric of the sheets, “Will you meet us in the morning?”

“Yes! And tomorrow I’ll have the help of my husband. Tomorrow your training begins! You boys are in luck, my grandson will be visiting this weekend, so you’ll be able to put to use everything you’ve learned then, think of it as a test.”

Taemin gulped, he had never been good at tests, he was already dreading it. He thanked the woman again, and it wasn’t long until the two of them were alone.

“Minho,” Taemin whispered, trying to use his gangly arms and legs to get closer to his friend. “I hope you’re okay..” He wrapped an arm around Minho’s torso and buried his face in his neck before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning Taemin awoke to an amazing smell. He opened his eyes to see Minho was gone. In a panic, he sat up to see Minho inspecting himself in a mirror that was resting on the floor in a corner of the room.

“How the hell did you get over there? And what’s that smell??”

“Grandma brought breakfast, it’s raw fish, your favorite!” Minho turned over and grinned, his teeth were flat now and slightly crooked, but he looked handsome even out of the water. He was considered one of the better-looking staff in the castle anyway. “And, I got over here by sliding, it’s easy to do, just use your hands and pull yourself along the floor. You can also roll!”

Taemin snorted, “You’re too much..” 

“As soon as we can walk, we’re going to find Kibum,” Minho said in a serious tone then, “That’s my only goal.” 

“Well, we should get to learning then..” 

The next two days were filled with practice. How to walk, how to hold a fork and spoon, and chopsticks. Minho was learning much faster than Taemin, he had his eyes set on a goal, and the motivation alone propelled him along.

The two did everything together. It was one day they were practicing their etiquette in the main part of the home when Taemin saw a familiar face staring back at him. He nearly dropped his chopsticks at the sight in shock.

“Grandmother,” Taemin whispered, “W- Who is that?” He pointed to the portrait behind her. Jonghyun was standing with his hands on an older looking woman who sat on a stool while below them sat a small fluffy creature.

“Ah! That’s my grandson! He comes tomorrow!” She smiled, “He works in Seoul, so it’s rare when I get to see him.”

“Your.. grandson.” Taemin hummed. “And that woman is..?”

“His mother,” She smiled, “I see her once a month so she can visit the sea again.”

Taemin tapped the side of his bowl in thought. If they were coming tomorrow, that meant Jonghyun would be there and Kibum as well. He couldn’t help his smile before he began eating the rice eagerly only to be told off for his improper manners.

* * *

~~Present~~

After the revelations of that evening as well as dinner, Taemin and Jonghyun had split off from Minho and Kibum. The two sat on the small veranda outside Jonghyun’s room, enjoying the cool night air off of the ocean while they talked together. 

“So you’re a prince who ran away,” Jonghyun said with a smile, “I never would have thought that..”

“And you’re a criminal, kidnapping a prince like that!” Taemin teased with a grin, “Jonghyun.. I can’t believe this, I really can’t believe I’m human now, and you’re.. You’re here.” He sighed, leaning back in his chair, “You know, down there we call you land people.” He snorted.

Jonghyun chuckled, “Well, I’m glad I can see you again. I was so worried after we lost you, I- I thought something horrible happened.” 

“Something horrible did happen, my father found me breaking the rules..” He shook his head, “If that man knew what happened to me he would- would.. You know what, he has no power here. He has nothing.”

Jonghyun leaned closer and took Taemin’s hand. Taemin held it out without second thought, reminded of when he was in the bathtub and Jonghyun would gently touch him. 

“That must have been so hard for you,” Jonghyun said softly, “To leave your parents like that.” 

“It..” Taemin looked down at their hands and squeezed a little, “It was hard to leave my mother, but I just couldn’t stay there, I couldn’t just do nothing with my life.. I couldn’t let you go..” He whispered the last sentence, worried how Jonghyun would respond if he heard it.

“And what now?” Jonghyun asked, “What are your new goals?” 

Taemin hummed, “I don’t know.. I’m free, I want to do everything I couldn’t before.” 

“Well, I’m not stopping you.” Jonghyun smiled, and it was enough to make Taemin’s heart melt, he squeezed Jonghyun’s hand without thinking.

“Jonghyun,” He started softly, “Is- is it okay if I stay with you tonight? Minho’ s probably off with Kibum tying tails,” he rolled his eyes, “I- I don’t want to be alone.” 

“Of course..” Jonghyun smiled brightly. 

“Oh, and by the way, how do humans tie tails?” He asked innocently and he could see Jonghyun’s face turning a bright red. 

“I- I think, um,” Jonghyun stammered, dropping Taemin’s hand to run his own through his hair anxiously, “W- well I’m sure it’s s- similar.. Right? We- were both mammals after all!” He said laughing.

Taemin nodded, “I guess..” 

After a pause, Jonghyun’s grandmother approached them, “You boys should go to sleep! It’s supposed to rain again tomorrow, and I’ll need your help bringing things inside tomorrow morning!”

“Yes, grandma!” Jonghyun called out. “Well, you heard the woman, time to tuck in for the night.” He smiled at Taemin and Taemin could feel that need again.

The two settled in Jonghyun’s bed. It was a little smaller than the one Taemin and Minho shared, but the small size gave him more opportunity to stay closer to Jonghyun. The heat the human radiated, the smell he had, it was intoxicating and Taemin found himself quickly drifting off. In his sleep his arm found its way around Jonghyun’s waist, keeping him close.


	9. Minho and Kibum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay ;; I got home late last night and was absolutely exhausted..  
> Here's a little break from our saga to share some Minkey love~ Enjoy!

#  Minkey

They were finally alone. Kibum carefully closed the door behind him and looked at Minho. While they hadn’t spoken a word to each other, they hadn’t needed to yet. Kibum had never been so drawn to a man in his life, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Minho felt it too.

Kibum took a step towards Minho in the dimly lit room, and the man opened his mouth to speak, but Kibum silenced him with his lips. He could feel Minho tense beneath him, but it only took a moment for Minho’s hands to be at his waist, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss. Kibum closed his eyes and let himself be taken with Minho for a moment.

Pulling away for a breath, Minho rested his forehead against Kibum’s. His breathing was heavy and labored, and Kibum knew he was still growing used to the lack of gills.

Kibum’s hand went to Minho’s cheek, leading him in a slower, softer kiss. “I-” Minho managed when they broke away again, “I loved Taemin.” 

“And I loved Jonghyun, I was sure of it.. But then I met you.” Kibum pulled far enough away so he could look into Minho’s eyes and he felt as if he were getting lost in them all over again.

“What will we tell our friends?” Minho asked, “What about my duty?”

Kibum chuckled, “Your duty? You’re on land now, you’re free from any duty you had.” He took Minho’s hand, “As for Jonghyun, he’s in shock.. We can discuss this with him later, but for now, I just want you.” 

Minho smiled at that and wrapped his arms around Kibum’s waist, pulling him close as he initiated the next kiss. Every time their lips met Kibum felt as if he were melting, he never wanted to stop. Kibum grabbed Minho’s hand and led him to the bed.

“Sleep here with me tonight,” Kibum whispered once they were sitting side by side, “Stay with me for..” he cut off, letting his desires float away.

“I will, I want to,” Minho agreed, “I want to stay with you until the day I die.”

Kibum nodded, “Me too.” 

They lay together, continuing to share kisses lazily as Kibum’s hands explored Minho’s body. Yet they never did more than that, Kibum didn’t want to, not until he was somewhere he felt was safe. 

That night Kibum fell asleep in Minho’s arms. They shared the small bed in Kibum’s designated room. Nothing mattered now that they were together, and nothing would.

The next morning Kibum awoke in the same position he had fallen asleep in, his face was buried in Minho’s long hair, his hand wrapped around the man’s waist. Minho snored gently and Kibum didn’t wish to wake him.

The door was open ajar and he saw Jonghyun pass only to stop and turn back around, glancing in on them with his jaw dropped.

“Did you..?” Jonghyun mouthed, his fingers showing the lewd action he wouldn’t speak of in his grandparents’ house.

Kibum furrowed his brow and shook his head immediately, his hand waving Jonghyun away. 

Minho groaned and turned so he was facing Kibum then and Kibum settled so he could look at Minho’s soft sleeping face. His long eyelashes rested on golden skin. Without thinking Kibum slid closer and pressed a kiss against his soft pillowy lips. When he opened his eyes again Minho was staring back at him with a smile. 

“Good morning, Minho,” Kibum whispered.

Minho wrapped his arms around Kibum’s waist and rolled them over so Kibum was on top of him. “Morning,” He grinned. 

Kibum giggled a little, “You like to sleep in?” He asked, trying to get to know Minho more in spite of their confessions the previous night.

Nodding, Minho closed his eyes again, “When I don’t have work, sometimes I can sleep for days.”

Kibum looked impressed but didn’t comment on it. “What’s your favorite color?” He asked then.

“Blue.”

Kibum hummed, “And.. Favorite movie?”

Minho opened his eyes and looked at Kibum in confusion, “Movie? What’s a movie?”

Kibum sat up, “You don’t..? Oh my god, I need to show you a movie!”

Minho chuckled and placed his hand on Kibum’s waist, his thumbs massaging Kibum’s skin, “Maybe in a bit.. I’m still tired.”

Kibum laid back down and settled against Minho, “And what about me? Why do you love me?” Kibum asked softly as Minho closed his eyes again.

“Merpeople, like myself, we can just sense these things.. And you felt the pull too, right?” Minho asked, his hand rubbing Kibum’s side as he spoke. 

“As soon as I saw you I- I don’t know what came over me,” Kibum whispered.

Minho nodded, “That’s our bond. When we find the one we love, we just know it..”

Kibum hummed, resting his head against Minho’s chest as he processed the information, “And Taemin? Do you know if he’s found that person?”

Minho didn’t respond at first, he took a long enough time Kibum assumed he had fallen asleep, but he eventually spoke again after a deep breath. “It’s hard to say. For people like us, it’s instant, for others.. It takes time, sometimes many moon cycles.” 

Kibum drew symbols on Minho’s chest as he thought of his next words, “And.. I noticed you didn’t have.. You know.. A penis when you were a merman, so.. How does that work?”

Minho chuckled, “We have them, just not exposed.. That’s far too dangerous anyway.” He looked up at Kibum, “Taemin told me you touched his tail.. Do you know how jealous I was when I found out?”

“T- Tail?” Kibum asked curiously.

“Well, then you touched my tail so I guess it was okay in the end but..” 

Kibum sat up and looked down at Minho, “What’s so important about the tail?”

“It- It’s arousing..” Minho said with a blush.

Kibum blinked, suddenly understanding why Taemin would only let Jonghyun touch him. He recognized why he felt his bond was stronger the day Minho let him touch his tail as well. He felt suddenly embarrassed, realizing the two must have looked like horny teens to Taemin.

“I- I had no idea..” He admitted sheepishly, “But, in better news.. I think Taemin likes Jonghyun.” He smiled, “So you don’t need to worry about Taemin feeling alone now that you have me.” 

“Was I worried about that?” Minho asked, grinning, “That was a different Minho. Now that I have you, nothing else matters.” 


	10. Jonghyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late again I know ;; I hope you all enjoy this chapter and it isn't getting too boring!

After seeing the shocking scene of a half-naked Minho intertwined with a half-naked Kibum, Jonghyun carried a glass of water back to Taemin. Earlier that morning they had seen Jonghyun’s grandfather off, hoping he would return before noon with Jonghyun’s sister. 

Jonghyun let himself relax against the wicker chair, watching the birds on the water as they hunted for fish. “I still can’t believe this..” 

Taemin sipped from his glass before glancing back at Jonghyun, “Can’t believe which part of it?”

“I can’t believe Kibum is basically in a relationship now, I can’t believe my mom is half mermaid, and mermaids exist and.. And you.” He looked back at Taemin, “I can’t believe I found you.”

“I’m lucky  _ you _ did..” Taemin smiled, reaching out to squeeze Jonghyun’s knee. “You have no idea how risky that was..”

“You’re special..” Jonghyun said softly, “I couldn’t just leave you behind.”

Jonghyun could feel Taemin’s eyes on him, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he turned around to see Kibum wrapped in a blanket, coming out to greet the others.

“Oh look who finally got up!”

Kibum snorted, “Don’t make any rude comments.. And what are you doing with Taemin, hmm?” He looked at the hand that was still resting on Jonghyun’s knee and Taemin quickly yanked it away. 

“I- I was comforting him is all..”

Kibum narrowed his eyes, “Sure, sure, comforting.. And what an interesting way to do so.” He shook his head, “Don’t deny the pull you two, it feels so good to let it happen.” He winked and turned back, wandering to the kitchen.

Jonghyun’s ears were pink in embarrassment, but when he looked back at Taemin the two locked eyes. He was drawn to the man, his heart compelling him forward, but was pulled away when he heard Minho’s loud laughter. 

He put his hand to his chest in shock, and Taemin whipped around. 

“Minho!” Taemin yelled in annoyance but balled his hand into a fist to hold back his words.

“Sorry, your majesty!” Minho called back, stepping out to bow a bit before falling into fits of giggles, running back to Kibum. 

Jonghyun looked at Taemin, his eyes wide, shocked by the interaction. He wanted to laugh but felt unsure if Taemin was truly mad. It was Taemin who broke first, with soft giggles until he was laughing hard, leaning into Jonghyun as support. 

“It’s so weird when he calls you that!” Jonghyun admitted between his laughter, “I- I didn’t want to laugh.”

Taemin shook his head, finally calming. He sat up straight and looked at Jonghyun, “I honestly don’t want to be called that up here.. I never want you calling me that.” 

Jonghyun hummed, “That doesn’t do it for you, your majesty? My.. prince?”

Taemin paused and Jonghyun couldn’t tell if it was nervousness in his eyes or perhaps embarrassment.

“You can call me that,” Taemin said softly in the growing pause, “If you’d like..”

Jonghyun felt that draw again, a pounding in his chest, a pull towards Taemin. When Taemin’s dark eyes looked up at him, it took everything in his being to hold back. It was Jonghyun’s grandmother who saved him from himself.

“Jonghyun!” She called, “Help me get these troublemakers out of the kitchen!”

Jonghyun gulped, looking back at Taemin, “I’ll- I’ll go help, you’re welcome to come.” Taemin looked a little hurt, and Jonghyun couldn’t place why, something about what he had said, or maybe what he hadn’t.. He reached out to help Taemin stand before cautiously attempting to flirt. “I’ll help you, my prince.” He said with a grin.

Without hesitation, the smile returned to Taemin’s lips and he took the hand, letting himself be led. The rest of the morning the group was busy helping Jonghyun’s grandmother put together a feast for the reunion. The whole time Jonghyun was either busy being embarrassed by his friends’ flirting, or busy doing anything his grandmother asked. 

It was around one in the afternoon when they had finished setting the table. “They should come any minute now.” She smiled, “If my timing is correct..” 

Jonghyun chose to go down to the water and wait on the small beach that had been formed for merpeople who were transitioning. He knelt against the sand, enjoying the warmth of the sun combined with the cool breeze off of the sea. Taemin came to sit beside him while they waited patiently. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? The sea from above?”

“It’s much more beautiful than the sea below.” Taemin smiled, “There’s more to see, more to do. Everything down there is just.. boring.” 

“Well, you don’t have to go back, if you don’t want to.” Jonghyun looked back at Taemin with a smile, but his face fell when he saw the man’s concerned expression. “W- What is it?”

Taemin stood immediately and Jonghyun turned to see a young man swimming towards them at an inhuman speed. “That’s not your grandfather, that’s not your sister either.” 

The man swam so fast he managed to beach himself on the shore, sputtering and shaking from his effort. “Y- Your Majesty, t- they- Hyunseok- he’s been arrested.”

Jonghyun furrowed his brow, “My- my grandfather? But why?”

Taemin put his hand over his mouth, “Treason.. They think he either killed me or kidnapped me or.. Or worse, they made me human.” He looked at Jonghyun, “I have to go back, get Minho, I’ll need all the help I can get.” 

“Let me go with you!” Jonghyun immediately insisted.

“Y- You can’t, the talisman only works on us.. They’ve tried it- it doesn’t work..”

This was all happening so fast, Jonghyun didn’t know what to do, he was paralyzed as he processed the information. It was only when a large wave crashed against the shore that he took a breath. 

“Fuck,” Jonghyun whispered, wiping away the silent tears. “Minho!” He yelled, looking back to the two sitting on the porch near the house. He could tell Kibum was sitting in his lap, he could tell they were intimately intertwined and the thought only filled him with rage.

He stormed up to the porch and yanked Kibum off of the man’s lap angry tears falling from his face. “You!” He yelled at Minho, holding Kibum by the arm strong enough he didn’t care if it hurt him. “You go help Taemin! I’ll keep your boyfriend here.” 

Minho stood tall with a dark expression on his face he looked as if he were about to smack Jonghyun for pulling Kibum off of him, but despite the pain, he was in, Kibum shook his head, “Minho, go, I’ll be here waiting.” 

Minho’s features softened after Kibum spoke. He knelt down and with a shocking amount of strength, pried Jonghyun’s hand from Kibum’s arm. He kissed Kibum’s forehead.

“If I don’t come back, know that I have loved you as much as I can in these 24 hours.” 

“You’re not going to die,” Kibum insisted, “You’ll come back with everyone safe and sound.” He kissed Minho’s lips before the man left his side reluctantly to join Taemin. 

Taemin looked at Jonghyun for a moment. He stepped forward and took Jonghyun’s hand, pressing something hard into Jonghyun’s palm “Keep it safe for me.” Taemin whispered into his ear.

“Anything for you,” Jonghyun whispered, slipping the ring onto his thumb.

Taemin grinned, “We’ll be back by this evening, I promise.”

Jonghyun watched as the two men slipped into the water, he could tell Kibum was trying to stay strong beside him, but he sniffed and let his emotions go once Minho had dipped his head beneath the water. The two men thrashed about in the water as they got their bearings, but when the water calmed, two beautiful tails poked out of the water waving them goodbye.


	11. Taemin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for the big delay ;; I was out of town for the lunar new year and didn't have a computer with me, so I couldn't upload. But here it is now! Thank you for waiting~

Taemin had never felt so much rage in his entire life. He had never felt anger as strong as this. It was one thing for his father to ruin his own life, it was another for him to ruin someone else’s, especially someone like Jonghyun who had only shown him nothing but kindness. He let the rage consume him. With every kilometer, they covered he was closer to the brink of his anger.

The three swam over the city, Taemin far ahead of the other two. Minho had tried to reach out to him, tried to get him to slow down and think a bit more about what he was doing, but Taemin wouldn’t listen, he didn’t want to.

Taemin heard someone below point out that the prince had returned safely and that had him smirking. Seeing Taemin unrestrained, swimming out in the open, it would give him witnesses if his father decided to banish Jonghyun’s grandfather despite his lack of crime.

Swimming low as he approached the castle, he approached as a commoner, not a prince. He didn’t wear his usual circlet of gems and pearls. He didn’t wear the thick cuff on his arm with the symbol of his family’s crest. He approached as if he were just an ordinary citizen because that’s what he wanted to be now. 

The doors of the palace were opened by the guards before him.

“Your father is waiting for yo-” Taemin held up his hand and interrupted the servant who addressed him.

“Where is the man you have wrongfully arrested?” Taemin asked, looking to the servant with fire in his eyes.

“R- Right this way,” The man mumbled, leading Taemin away from the throne room into the depths of the palace. Typically, those who were arrested to put on trial were kept close to the thermal source. The heat would exhaust them, eventually leading to confession. It wasn’t a just system, but his father wasn’t a just man. 

He was taken to the deepest cavern, the deepest cell. Upon approaching it, Taemin was already starting to overheat, it was almost unbearable. He found Jonghyun's grandfather and sister curled up on either end of the small room behind bars.

Taemin’s hands balled into fists, “Let them out,” He commanded. 

“But, your highness, your father said-”

Taemin cut him off again, his rage getting the best of him, “My father claims they kidnapped me! Look at me, here I am in the flesh, I’m alive, I’m breathing! Whatever my father told you was a lie.”

The man before him shook with fear. Taemin had never gotten this mad at anyone in the palace. His passion was evidence enough that this was serious. With shaking hands the man pulled out the key, unlocking the door to release the two prisoners. 

Taemin swam inside, going for the elderly man first, “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you did he?”

Jonghyun’s grandfather shook his head, “I- I’m fine.. But Taemin, you shouldn’t be here. It isn’t safe for you.”

Shaking his head, “I don’t care, we need to get you out of here, both of you. I want you to swim as fast as you can to Jonghyun. I’ll deal with my father.”

“He knows you went to the surface. He knows you were on land.”

Taemin snorted, “Good, he needs to know I want nothing to do with him. I went to the surface and I’ll do it again.”

“You don’t have your talisman on your person, right?”

Taemin nodded, “I left it with Jonghyun so I can get it when I come back.”

The elderly man nodded, “Then, we’ll swim to the shore and assure Jonghyun that we’re okay. Don’t be too far behind.”

“I promise, it won’t take me very long.”

Jonghyun’s grandfather took Sodam’s wrist and followed the servant out of the cramped room, passing a tired Minho still catching up to Taemin.

Taemin swam out after them, taking his time. When he found Minho, he grinned, grabbing his arm to guide him to follow. “There you are! I’m going to need you for this next part.”

“Okay,” Minho willingly agreed. Due to Minho’s more muscular build, he wasn’t nearly as fast as Taemin in the water, keeping up with the prince was always a task.

The two swam side by side to the throne room. Traditionally, Minho would swim slightly behind Taemin in his subservient role, but not anymore, Taemin wouldn’t allow it. He saw them as equals, brothers, and nothing would change that. 

They approached the throne room doors and Taemin stalled for a moment, looking at Minho.

“I’m going to tell my father I’m leaving for good. I’m going to tell him why, and I’m not going to come back no matter what he says. He’s going to try to use force, but we must fight him off. Once I’ve said my piece, we can go.” Taemin explained with a steady voice. He was determined for this to work, he was determined they could do it.

Taemin placed his hand on one of the doors while Minho did the same on the opposite. They pushed the doors open in tandem only to find Taemin’s father discussing something with Taesun and his mother.

“Taemin! My son, I was so worried about you!” His father smiled approaching Taemin to attempt to embrace him in a hug.

Taemin scoffed and smacked the arms away as they approached him, “What a nice lie..” He shook his head, “Your games don’t work on me old man. You’ve manipulated me for how many years? And you still think you can manipulate me now?”

The man’s face fell, “Son.”

“I’m no longer your son,” Taemin spat, “Not after you’ve hurt my friends.”

Taemin’s mother approached him, resting her hands on Taemin’s cheeks, “What happened? Tell me what happened to you? We’ve been worried sick!”

Taemin’s eyes narrowed, “So you know yet you didn’t tell your wife or Taesun what happened?” He added, noticing his brother’s look of confusion.

His father approached him, “This doesn’t concern them.”

“Yes it does, this concerns everyone! You knew, didn’t you? You knew this whole time that merpeople were going to the surface to live and you didn’t tell anyone!” 

Taemin’s mother gasped, looking back at her husband, “This isn’t true, is it dear?” But Taemin only continued.

“I saw them, all the people you would have hanged, just like my bonded’s grandfather!”

“Bonded? You- You bonded with one of the land people?!” His father said, suddenly enraged.

Taemin narrowed his eyes, “oh, so now you’re upset. You were upset that I went to the land, but now you’re even more upset because I bonded with one of them?” 

His father looked as if he were ready to attack Taemin, but instead of Minho stepping between them, it was Taesun, “Don’t you dare hurt him.” His brother had never defended him in these fights, his brother seemed to always take the side of the king, saying ‘he knows what’s best’ or ‘I was raised the same way.’ Something about this experience was different, Taesun wanted to know more.

“Earlier this week I swam too close to the shore and got stuck in the rocks. I would have died if those humans hadn’t saved me.” Taemin explained to his family. “Humans took me in and cared for me as if I were one of them, and.. I’m not going to lie to you, that was the most care I’ve ever felt from another creature apart from Minho. They treated me like- like I was just.. Normal! They didn’t bow to me, they didn’t lie to me.. They cared for me until I could swim again.”

“You’re lying-” His father started, but Taesun held up his hand, looking back at Taemin. 

“Continue.” 

Taemin nodded, “After seeing their kindness, I was taken back here.. And all I could think about was how much I was missing in my life. Do you know what I spend my days doing? I spend my days learning what Taesun learns. Why do I learn that? Why have I wasted my youth learning information I’ll never use.”

“If Taesun dies,” His father started to explain again but Taemin interrupted him this time.

“If Taesun dies,” He shook his head, “You’re dumber than I thought if Taesun dies.. A crown prince hasn’t died before becoming King in.. decades! Do you know how I know that? Because I had to learn about the mortality rate across multiple generations! I know all this useless information, and once Taesun becomes King, what am I going to do? Continue to learn to take his place? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs until something happens? I’ve wasted years and years of my life and for what? I’m not going to do anything with this information!” He took a deep breath, “After I came back, I realized I don’t want to be here anymore, I want to be with people that actually care about me. I want to be with my bonded. If you have a problem with that, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Taemin’s father was going to fight back, but it was his mother who took his arm, “Don’t,” She whispered. “Taemin, I want what’s best for you, and if you’re happy there, then so be it. The doors to the palace will always be open for you to visit.. And I- I don’t know how you can go on land, but maybe I can meet your bonded someday if you’ll allow it.”

Taemin finally smiled, feeling a wave of relaxation fall over him, “Thank you mother, and Taesun, for hearing me out. As for you,” He looked at his father, “You are going to allow Jonghyun’s grandfather to continue his work. If you interfere with him in any way, I’ll send the scary humans after you.”

His father puffed up his chest, but Taemin turned before he could hear any reaction from him. After this moment, he finally felt free. He felt as if the whole world was his oyster to explore. He was free to be human, and he loved it. 

He took Minho’s hand and squeezed it as they slowly swam back to the shore.

They were nearing the surface and Taemin held back for a moment, “Minho.. thank you for being there for me.” 

“What are friends for,” Minho smiled, “We’re equals now, but.. even so, I would do anything for you because you’re my friend.”

Taemin grinned and pulled Minho close for a tight hug, “The best of friends, even after you tie tails and only think of Kibum..” he teased.

“Yes, even when my mind is surrounded by Kibum, you’re still important to me.”


	12. Jonghyun

#  Jonghyun

Jonghyun sat by the shore. His grandfather had come, he had even met his sister for the first time. Despite his desire for excitement, it felt as if his heart was still left in the sea and it wouldn’t come out until Taemin did.

Kibum sat beside him digging his feet into the sand before taking them out. Jonghyun could hear him sniffle, but he didn’t approach him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to comfort the man when he couldn’t even comfort himself.

He heard a splash and glanced up, squinting through to sunlight to see a tail waving at him from the water. He stood and without even speaking a word to Kibum, he waded into the water cautiously, his hands reaching out to try and find Taemin and the purple tail. 

It wasn’t long until he felt a webbed hand around his ankle. The hand sent a feeling of warmth through his body, but when it yanked him into the water he yelled, laughing as he was pulled deeper by Taemin. 

Taemin dragged him deeper until he couldn’t touch anymore and was soon treading water when Taemin finally poked his head up, “I missed you.” He said softly.

Jonghyun wasn’t even sure what Taemin said but easily responded. “I missed you too.”

Without warning he felt Taemin’s strong tail coil around his legs, holding them in place. He looked into Taemin’s deep purple eyes, drawn into them even more so than before. He didn’t think, he only acted to his heart's desires. His arms wrapped around Taemin’s torso and he pressed his lips against the merman’s, closing his eyes as he felt a warmth fill him in the otherwise cold water.

Taemin’s tail tightened and his webbed hand came up to Jonghyun’s chest, caressing his skin as they kissed. Jonghyun was beginning to get lost in the kiss, lost in the feeling of warmth, the feeling of being loved, but he was shaken from the moment when behind them they could hear the splashing of Minho and Kibum’s reunion. 

Jonghyun pulled away to laugh softly, resting his forehead against Taemin’s. “I was so worried you had gotten hurt.. I was so-” He shook his head, cutting himself off to prevent himself from giving away too much of his heart. He pulled the ring from his pocket and helped guide it onto Taemin’s thumb under the water. 

The two left the water hand in hand. Minho and Kibum had left in the water, swimming off somewhere, but Jonghyun didn’t care. He wanted to be with his family, with his whole family. They walked quietly through the sand, up to the balcony where his grandmother had set out some food. Jonghyun’s grandfather sat next to his sister, Sodam. Jonghyun could see the anxiousness in the girl's eyes but only smiled.

“You look so much like my mother, I’m so happy to meet you.”

She blushed and cleared her throat, “Jonghyun?” She asked softly, anxiously playing with her hair before she bowed gently to the two, “Y- Your majesties.”

Jonghyun raised an eyebrow before laughing. He wrapped an arm around Taemin’s waist, pulling him closer, “No, just because we’re together, doesn’t make us royalty. You’re my sister.. I’ve- I’ve always wanted a sibling.” He sat on the closest available bench, guiding Taemin to sit beside him.

“Then.. Who is the king of your country? Will Taemin’s royal status be recognized here?” Sodam asked, her eyes wide as she processed the new world.

Jonghyun smiled, “I know it’s confusing now, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you. You and Taemin will fly back with me and you can meet my mother. I’m- I’m sure you’re curious about her, right? We can- well, you both can learn about the world together.” Jonghyun squeezed Taemin’s hand from under the table. “I have so much I want to share with you both, this is only the beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's the final chapter! I'm sorry this ends so abruptly, but I'm glad I've uploaded a completed story! I want to add more to this story in the future, but I'm not sure when that will be as I have a new au in the works!
> 
> I'm sorry it's short, but I hope you enjoyed the full story up until this point, and thank you for reading!


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